Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Abha

For one person, living is cheaper in Abha: $1,049 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
Learn more

Abha Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Abha

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,049 in Abha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Abha $1,049

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,747 in Abha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Abha $1,747

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,444 in Abha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Abha $2,444

Playa del Carmen costs about 15% more than Abha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Abha are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Abha 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$5.18 SAR 19.45

105.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$50.7 SAR 190

-13.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$7.22 SAR 27.09

63.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 SAR 4.90

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$3.11 SAR 11.67

21.86%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$0.63 SAR 2.38

106.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$0.22 SAR 0.82

277.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.63 SAR 6.10

-13.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$0.64 SAR 2.39

243.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.97 SAR 7.38

-25.38%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$3.10 SAR 11.65

-19.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$4.33 SAR 16.27

68.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$7.59 SAR 28.47

4.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$18.40 SAR 69.1

-30.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$2.08 SAR 7.82

39.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$1.94 SAR 7.27

-28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$1.64 SAR 6.14

51.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$1.61 SAR 6.05

26.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$2.18 SAR 8.18

-7.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$1.26 SAR 4.72

50.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$0.34 SAR 1.27

235.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$0.51 SAR 1.93

143.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.40 SAR 16.53

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$9.12 SAR 34.21

-53.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$0.85 SAR 3.20

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$37.06 SAR 139

-26.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$2.99 SAR 11.22

59.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$2.63 SAR 9.87

23.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$14.25 SAR 53.5

-62.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$0.59 SAR 2.22

159.32%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$28.7K SAR 107.7K

-26.06%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$19.0K SAR 71.5K

22.15%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$86.9 SAR 326

-3.91%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$36.53 SAR 137

-36.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$75.9 SAR 285

-63.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$91.5 SAR 343

-38.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$45.46 SAR 171

-37.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$15.73 SAR 59.1

-68.21%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$211 SAR 792

-1.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$4,216 SAR 15.8K

24.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$30.04 SAR 113

44.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$69.8 SAR 262

-39.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$96.3 SAR 361

-24.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$67.0 SAR 251

31.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$305 SAR 1,144

226.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$246 SAR 923

55.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$541 SAR 2,030

209.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$570 SAR 2,140

89.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$935 SAR 3,511

317.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$1,334 SAR 5,008

359.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$2,239 SAR 8,402

-62.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Abha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Abha

$246 23.5% 35.7% $136

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Abha

$202 19.3% 21.4% $55

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Abha

$104 9.9% 48.2% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Abha

$199 19% 48.5% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Abha

$118 11.3% 6.5% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Abha

$123 11.7% 85% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Abha

$57 5.4% 12.2% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $305 in Abha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Abha are about 2.7 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $51 in Abha. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $202 in Abha – so Abha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 Abha

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

10:43 10:43 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

236,157

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Abha 13,030 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Abha

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

Playa del Carmen vs Abha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 15% more than Abha, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,574 in Abha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $305 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $51 in Abha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,049 in Abha. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,049 in Abha to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.