Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,435 in Al Khobar, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al Khobar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
Learn more

Al Khobar Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,435

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,435 in Al Khobar.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Al Khobar $1,435

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,239 in Al Khobar.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Al Khobar $2,239

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,043 in Al Khobar.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Al Khobar $3,043

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 15% less than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 9% below, Al Khobar is 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$6.78 SAR 25.46

61.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$58.9 SAR 221

-23.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$8.08 SAR 30.34

47.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 SAR 10.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 SAR 10.19

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.51 SAR 16.92

-15.74%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.92 SAR 3.45

42.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.40 SAR 1.52

115.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.70 SAR 6.38

-14.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.26 SAR 4.72

84.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$2.55 SAR 9.59

-43.53%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.40 SAR 9.01

2.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$7.11 SAR 26.69

8.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$10.30 SAR 38.68

-23.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$11.59 SAR 43.52

10.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.77 SAR 10.40

5.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.78 SAR 6.68

-20.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.98 SAR 7.42

29.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.83 SAR 6.86

16.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.36 SAR 5.10

43.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.67 SAR 6.26

16.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.69 SAR 6.34

-31.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.55 SAR 2.05

121.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 SAR 7.08

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$6.61 SAR 24.84

-33.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.74 SAR 2.77

-29.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$67.0 SAR 252

-59.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$3.38 SAR 12.68

45.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$2.72 SAR 10.20

29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$6.84 SAR 25.67

-16.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.64 SAR 2.41

140.63%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$66.1K SAR 248.1K

-67.85%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$22.6K SAR 84.8K

8.46%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$99.2 SAR 372

-15.70%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$32.92 SAR 124

-27.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$69.7 SAR 262

-57.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$80.9 SAR 304

-19.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$36.24 SAR 136

-18.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$15.22 SAR 57.1

-66.56%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$602 SAR 2,262

-65.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$8,315 SAR 31.2K

-51.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$62.8 SAR 236

-29.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$83.7 SAR 314

-49.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$96.3 SAR 362

-21.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$92.4 SAR 347

-1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$631 SAR 2,370

56.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$514 SAR 1,929

-25.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,174 SAR 4,410

45.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$855 SAR 3,209

29.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$2,388 SAR 8,966

68.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,463 SAR 5,495

326.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$1,872 SAR 7,028

-59.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.88

94.73%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Al Khobar

$514 36.1% 33.4% $129

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Al Khobar

$219 15.4% 15.8% $41

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Al Khobar

$138 9.7% 32.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Al Khobar

$202 14.2% 47.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Al Khobar

$151 10.6% 32.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Al Khobar

$111 7.8% 48.4% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Al Khobar

$87 6.1% 67% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $631 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 147% 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: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $59.0 in Al Khobar. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $219, with Al Khobar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

15:15 3:15 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

219,679

💱 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 = 0.238 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 = 20.57 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 = 0.238 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Al Khobar 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al Khobar

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 Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Al Khobar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 147% lower in Al Khobar. 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: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $631 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 144% less than in Al Khobar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $208 in Playa del Carmen versus $602 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,435 in Al Khobar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Al Khobar. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,215 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Al Khobar 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 Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Al Khobar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.