Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arar

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,171 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Arar

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,171 in Arar, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Arar $1,171

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,750 in Arar, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Arar $1,750

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,329 in Arar, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Arar $2,329

Mexico City costs about 37% more than Arar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Arar is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$5.97 SAR 22.40

77.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$37.64 SAR 141

28.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.75 SAR 29.09

33.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 SAR 7.03

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SAR 8.41

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.17 SAR 11.91

16.40%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.89 SAR 3.32

87.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.26 SAR 0.98

388.46%

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

$1.72 SAR 6.47

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.30 SAR 4.87

133.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.25 SAR 8.46

-13.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.30 SAR 8.64

25.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$7.64 SAR 28.68

43.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$8.06 SAR 30.25

14.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$12.82 SAR 48.09

18.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.13 SAR 8.00

43.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.70 SAR 6.38

14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.58 SAR 5.95

28.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.57 SAR 5.87

47.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.19 SAR 4.46

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.26 SAR 4.73

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.26 SAR 4.72

17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.56 SAR 2.11

126.79%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.00 SAR 11.26

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.49

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 SAR 7.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$6.51 SAR 24.42

-18.59%

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

$1.08 SAR 4.07

-71.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$36.77 SAR 138

-46.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$2.69 SAR 10.08

-31.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.88 SAR 7.07

-71.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$13.05 SAR 48.99

-59.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.63 SAR 2.37

139.68%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$28.6K SAR 107.5K

-24.06%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$21.6K SAR 81.1K

10.98%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$104 SAR 392

-39.69%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$32.87 SAR 123

-16.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$66.2 SAR 249

-46.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$81.0 SAR 304

-27.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$13.40 SAR 50.3

-52.24%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$412 SAR 1,546

4.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$7,834 SAR 29.4K

45.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$42.18 SAR 158

61.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$54.2 SAR 203

-1.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$97.9 SAR 367

10.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$86.5 SAR 325

35.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$565 SAR 2,119

97.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$364 SAR 1,365

95.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$826 SAR 3,100

213.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$574 SAR 2,156

144.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,325 SAR 8,724

56.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,354 SAR 5,082

57.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

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 Arar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Arar

$364 31.1% 48.8% $347

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Arar

$203 17.3% 36.5% $116

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Arar

$114 9.7% 42.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Arar

$126 10.8% 18.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Arar

$204 17.4% 61.5% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Arar

$108 9.2% 50.2% $36

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Arar

$53 4.5% 109% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $565 in Arar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $38 in Arar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $203 – making Arar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇦 Arar

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

23:36 11:36 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

167,057

💱 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 Arar 12,980 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arar

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 Arar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,171 in Arar – Arar comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,757 in Arar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $565 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $412 in Arar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,171 in Arar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Arar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.