Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and AL Kharj

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
AL Kharj, Saudi Arabia
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
AL Kharj
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$961
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in AL Kharj

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 AL Kharj actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $961 in AL Kharj, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • AL Kharj $961

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,464 in AL Kharj, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • AL Kharj $1,464

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,966 in AL Kharj, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • AL Kharj $1,966

Mexico City costs about 67% more than AL Kharj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while AL Kharj is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
AL Kharj
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$199
$4.79 SAR 17.99
121.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$904
$26.43 SAR 99.2
82.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$8.14 SAR 30.56
27.15%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.16 SAR 8.11
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.32 SAR 4.94
-
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.0
$3.06 SAR 11.49
20.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.14
$0.85 SAR 3.21
96.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.65
$0.12 SAR 0.44
958.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.7
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$99.2
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
AL Kharj
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.23
$1.49 SAR 5.58
15.44%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.8
$0.28 SAR 1.06
985.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.27
$2.44 SAR 9.17
-20.49%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$54.0
$2.12 SAR 7.95
36.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$205
$10.38 SAR 38.95
5.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$173
$4.95 SAR 18.59
86.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$283
$13.09 SAR 49.13
15.58%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$57.0
$1.71 SAR 6.43
78.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.27
$1.37 SAR 5.15
41.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.85
$1.23 SAR 4.60
65.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.25
$1.38 SAR 5.18
67.39%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$38.03
$1.06 SAR 3.97
92.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.63
$1.05 SAR 3.94
71.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.64
$0.55 SAR 2.05
169.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.69
$0.54 SAR 2.02
135.19%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.20 SAR 8.26
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.04 SAR 3.91
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.47 SAR 9.28
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$99.1
$6.45 SAR 24.21
-17.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$301
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$37.06
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.5
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
AL Kharj
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.70
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$369
$23.07 SAR 86.6
-14.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.34
$2.66 SAR 9.97
-30.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.97
$0.51 SAR 1.90
3.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$99.0
$13.22 SAR 49.60
-59.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.23
$0.61 SAR 2.27
147.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$406.5K
$26.6K SAR 100.0K
-18.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$448.2K
$22.5K SAR 84.3K
6.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
AL Kharj
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,177
$107 SAR 400
-40.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$512
$26.42 SAR 99.2
3.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$666
$50.6 SAR 190
-29.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
AL Kharj
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,101
$72.4 SAR 272
-18.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$442
$40.69 SAR 153
-41.90%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$120
$13.41 SAR 50.3
-52.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
AL Kharj
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,065
$289 SAR 1,084
49.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$213.5K
$3,810 SAR 14.3K
199.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
AL Kharj
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,275
$57.5 SAR 216
18.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$993
$52.4 SAR 197
1.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,014
$46.60 SAR 175
131.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,191
$78.9 SAR 296
48.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
AL Kharj
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.8K
$692 SAR 2,597
60.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.3K
$267 SAR 1,002
166.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.4K
$590 SAR 2,214
338.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.3K
$461 SAR 1,729
205.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
AL Kharj
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.7K
$2,793 SAR 10.5K
-66.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
5.54
104.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
AL Kharj
$267 62.4% $444
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
AL Kharj
$174 45.7% $146
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
AL Kharj
$103 47.9% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
AL Kharj
$106 32.1% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
AL Kharj
$184 45.7% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
AL Kharj
$99 38.2% $27
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
AL Kharj
$28 * 11% $2.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $692 in AL Kharj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in AL Kharj are about 3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $26 in AL Kharj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $174 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇸🇦 AL Kharj
🕒 Local time
12:06 12:06 PM
21:06 9:06 PM
9 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
425,300
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City AL Kharj 13,960 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • AL Kharj

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 AL Kharj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mexico City and in AL Kharj compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $961 in AL Kharj – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Mexico City compared to AL Kharj?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,442 in AL Kharj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Mexico City and AL Kharj?
Rent is clearly cheaper in AL Kharj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $692 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and AL Kharj?
Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $289 in AL Kharj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 84% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Mexico City or AL Kharj?
Families tend to lean toward AL Kharj – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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