Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and AL Kharj

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
Learn more

AL Kharj Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen 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 Playa del Carmen and in AL Kharj actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $961 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
AL Kharj $961

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,464 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
AL Kharj $1,464

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,966 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
AL Kharj $1,966

Playa del Carmen costs about 25% more than AL Kharj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and AL Kharj are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, AL Kharj 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.79 SAR 17.99

127.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$26.43 SAR 99.2

64.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.14 SAR 30.56

44.72%

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

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.06 SAR 11.49

24.51%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.85 SAR 3.21

50.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.12 SAR 0.44

550.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.49 SAR 5.58

-5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.28 SAR 1.06

692.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.44 SAR 9.17

-41.80%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.12 SAR 7.95

18.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$10.38 SAR 38.96

-30.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.95 SAR 18.59

55.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$13.09 SAR 49.13

-3.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.71 SAR 6.43

62.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.37 SAR 5.15

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.23 SAR 4.60

107.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.38 SAR 5.18

53.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.06 SAR 3.97

83.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.05 SAR 3.94

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.55 SAR 2.05

109.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.54 SAR 2.02

118.52%

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)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$6.45 SAR 24.21

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$23.07 SAR 86.6

15.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.66 SAR 9.97

86.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.51 SAR 1.90

552.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$13.22 SAR 49.60

-59.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.61 SAR 2.27

136.07%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$26.6K SAR 100.0K

-22.45%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

4.41%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$107 SAR 400

-20.48%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$26.42 SAR 99.2

-11.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$50.6 SAR 190

-43.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$72.4 SAR 272

-21.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$40.69 SAR 153

-28.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$13.41 SAR 50.3

-61.67%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$289 SAR 1,084

-28.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$3,810 SAR 14.3K

3.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$57.5 SAR 216

-24.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$52.4 SAR 197

-20.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$46.60 SAR 175

59.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$78.9 SAR 296

13.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$692 SAR 2,597

41.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$267 SAR 1,002

42.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$590 SAR 2,214

189.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$461 SAR 1,729

133.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,793 SAR 10.5K

-73.70%

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 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

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

AL Kharj

$267 27.8% 29.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

AL Kharj

$174 18.1% 31.8% $81

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

AL Kharj

$103 10.8% 48.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

AL Kharj

$184 19.1% 34.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

AL Kharj

$106 11% 5.2% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

AL Kharj

$99 10.3% 47.3% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

AL Kharj

$28 * 2.9% 44% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen 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 3.8 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $26 in AL Kharj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $174 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

425,300

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen AL Kharj 13,000 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $961 in AL Kharj – AL Kharj comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,442 in AL Kharj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in AL Kharj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $692 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $289 in AL Kharj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $961 in AL Kharj to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, AL Kharj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 20% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.