Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,217 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Ad Dammam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam.

Mexico City $1,608
Ad Dammam $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,838 in Ad Dammam.

Mexico City $2,549
Ad Dammam $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,460 in Ad Dammam.

Mexico City $3,490
Ad Dammam $2,460

Living in Mexico City is roughly 32% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Ad Dammam is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$7.12 SAR 26.74

49.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$34.16 SAR 128

41.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$6.82 SAR 25.59

51.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 SAR 7.17

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.02 SAR 11.32

22.19%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.78 SAR 2.94

114.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.17 SAR 0.63

647.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.73 SAR 6.51

-0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.29 SAR 4.85

135.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.94 SAR 7.29

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.18 SAR 8.20

32.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$7.60 SAR 28.52

44.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.83 SAR 29.37

18.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$12.77 SAR 47.91

18.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.22 SAR 8.33

37.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.71 SAR 6.42

13.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.64 SAR 6.15

23.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.58 SAR 5.94

46.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.12 SAR 4.21

82.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.16 SAR 4.35

55.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.33 SAR 4.98

11.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.62 SAR 2.31

104.84%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.23

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$7.58 SAR 28.46

-30.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.91 SAR 3.41

-65.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$38.54 SAR 145

-48.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$2.74 SAR 10.27

-32.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-80.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$13.10 SAR 49.15

-59.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.64 SAR 2.40

135.94%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

-25.18%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

11.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$63.0 MX$1,174

$131 SAR 493

-52.03%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.39 MX$511

$32.48 SAR 122

-15.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$62.9 SAR 236

-43.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$72.9 SAR 273

-19.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$28.56 SAR 107

-17.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-52.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$432 MX$8,045

$416 SAR 1,559

3.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

41.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$42.09 SAR 158

62.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$50.5 SAR 189

5.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$96.1 SAR 361

12.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$92.6 SAR 347

26.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$535 SAR 2,008

108.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$387 SAR 1,450

83.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$970 SAR 3,640

166.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$670 SAR 2,512

109.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$962 SAR 3,610

277.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$707 SAR 2,653

202.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,475 SAR 5,536

-35.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.9

92.37%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8% 45.6% $324

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5% 37% $118

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7% 40.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4% 18.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6% 79.8% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2% 39.3% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8% 130% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $34 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $201 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

903,312

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ad Dammam 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ad Dammam

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mexico City vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 49% less than in Ad Dammam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ad Dammam is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.