Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Al Hufuf

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Hufuf: $1,133 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Al Hufuf
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Al Hufuf Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Al Hufuf

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Al Hufuf

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,133 in Al Hufuf, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Al Hufuf $1,133

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,708 in Al Hufuf, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Al Hufuf $1,708

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,283 in Al Hufuf, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Al Hufuf $2,283

Playa del Carmen costs about 7% more than Al Hufuf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Al Hufuf are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Al Hufuf 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$6.65 SAR 24.97

61.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$53.9 SAR 202

-20.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$7.00 SAR 26.25

68.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 SAR 7.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.17

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.92 SAR 14.71

-1.28%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.64 SAR 2.42

114.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.23 SAR 0.86

265.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.77 SAR 6.64

-18.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.83 SAR 3.10

168.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.37 SAR 8.89

-37.97%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.95 SAR 7.31

29.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$6.69 SAR 25.09

9.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.30 SAR 23.65

24.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$15.25 SAR 57.2

-16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.64 SAR 6.14

76.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.78 SAR 6.67

-19.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.37 SAR 5.14

86.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.04 SAR 3.91

98.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.05 SAR 3.95

90.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.79 SAR 2.95

154.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.35 SAR 5.05

-11.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.59 SAR 2.20

113.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SAR 8.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$6.86 SAR 25.73

-35.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.04 SAR 3.91

-45.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$36.12 SAR 136

-22.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.15 SAR 11.81

58.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.88 SAR 7.07

86.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$13.42 SAR 50.4

-59.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.59 SAR 2.22

149.15%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$34.7K SAR 130.3K

-39.57%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$22.4K SAR 84.2K

6.57%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$109 SAR 408

-22.45%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$29.33 SAR 110

-18.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$71.5 SAR 268

-59.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$110 SAR 411

-42.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$13.23 SAR 49.63

-62.66%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$526 SAR 1,973

-61.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

-60.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$17.05 SAR 64.0

155.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$18.58 SAR 69.7

132.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$43.32 SAR 163

74.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$31.92 SAR 120

177.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$583 SAR 2,187

72.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$373 SAR 1,400

0.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$835 SAR 3,133

104.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$572 SAR 2,147

93.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,347 SAR 8,806

68.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,354 SAR 5,081

355.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$2,347 SAR 8,808

-67.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.54

106.68%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al Hufuf: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Al Hufuf

$373 32.9% 0.2% $0.8

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Al Hufuf

$187 16.5% 27.6% $71

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Al Hufuf

$125 11% 38.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Al Hufuf

$209 18.5% 52.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Al Hufuf

$50 4.4% 55.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Al Hufuf

$136 12% 86.7% $63

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Al Hufuf

$53 4.7% 0.6% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $583 in Al Hufuf. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 211% higher in Al Hufuf, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $54.0 in Al Hufuf. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $187 in Al Hufuf – so Al Hufuf wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 Al Hufuf

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

13:48 1:48 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

660,788

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Al Hufuf 13,080 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al Hufuf

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 Al Hufuf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,700 in Al Hufuf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Hufuf, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $54.0 in Al Hufuf. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,133 in Al Hufuf. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al Hufuf, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Al Hufuf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Al Hufuf. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.