Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $1,768 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Riyadh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $1,768 in Riyadh.

Mexico City $1,561
Riyadh $1,768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $2,557 in Riyadh.

Mexico City $2,440
Riyadh $2,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $3,345 in Riyadh.

Mexico City $3,319
Riyadh $3,345

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 12% less than in Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Riyadh 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$204

$8.09 SAR 30.36

37.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$900

$66.5 SAR 250

-26.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$206

$8.11 SAR 30.47

38.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.0

$4.34 SAR 16.31

-13.36%

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

$1.65 MX$30.34

$0.86 SAR 3.24

91.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.48

$0.30 SAR 1.12

326.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$104

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$33.23

$1.77 SAR 6.63

2.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.0

$1.32 SAR 4.97

122.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.62

$2.40 SAR 9.03

-14.58%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.7

$3.06 SAR 11.48

-4.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$219

$10.63 SAR 39.91

12.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$175

$9.60 SAR 36.05

-0.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$273

$14.98 SAR 56.3

-0.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.7

$2.80 SAR 10.51

12.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.99

$1.98 SAR 7.45

1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.10

$2.51 SAR 9.43

-17.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.72

$1.80 SAR 6.75

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.82

$1.18 SAR 4.45

74.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.46

$1.34 SAR 5.01

40.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.18

$1.79 SAR 6.70

-17.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.70

$0.54 SAR 2.03

150.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.44

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$7.53 SAR 28.26

-28.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$310

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.33

$1.05 SAR 3.96

-67.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$371

$37.18 SAR 140

-45.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.47

$3.29 SAR 12.35

-36.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.74

$1.91 SAR 7.19

-72.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$13.43 SAR 50.5

-59.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.91

$0.65 SAR 2.42

133.85%

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

$21.7K MX$399.0K

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

-37.25%

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

$24.8K MX$455.6K

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

8.66%

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

$63.0 MX$1,156

$106 SAR 397

-40.40%

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

$28.88 MX$530

$29.10 SAR 109

-0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$623

$72.7 SAR 273

-53.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,024

$91.4 SAR 343

-39.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$457

$56.4 SAR 212

-55.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$124

$13.20 SAR 49.58

-48.71%

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

$428 MX$7,854

$532 SAR 1,999

-19.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$218.0K

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

16.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,286

$57.4 SAR 215

22.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$986

$54.4 SAR 204

-1.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,016

$105 SAR 393

5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,115

$106 SAR 397

8.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.5K

$1,211 SAR 4,547

-12.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.3K

$834 SAR 3,132

-19.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.7K

$2,223 SAR 8,346

7.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$23.1K

$1,241 SAR 4,658

1.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.2K

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

23.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

$1,937 SAR 7,274

2.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.3K

$2,037 SAR 7,648

-51.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.54

103.97%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Riyadh

$834 47.7% 24.3% $163

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Riyadh

$242 13.9% 25.8% $84

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Riyadh

$146 8.4% 29.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Riyadh

$145 8.3% 7.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Riyadh

$208 11.9% 65% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Riyadh

$118 6.8% 70% $49

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Riyadh

$54 3.1% 106% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $1,211 in Riyadh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 104% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $66.0 in Riyadh. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $242, with Riyadh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

08:11 8:11 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

5,188,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Riyadh 13,880 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Riyadh differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,561 vs $1,768 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 104% lower in Riyadh. 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: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $1,211 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 84% less than in Riyadh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $428 in Mexico City versus $532 in Riyadh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $1,768 in Riyadh, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Riyadh. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Riyadh are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.