Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,373 in Dhahran, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,373 in Dhahran, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Dhahran $1,373

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,761 in Dhahran, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Dhahran $1,761

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,149 in Dhahran, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Dhahran $2,149

Playa del Carmen is about 12% cheaper than Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$5.41 SAR 20.31

101.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$39.83 SAR 149

8.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.46 SAR 24.24

82.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 SAR 7.19

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 SAR 6.09

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.82 SAR 14.35

-0.26%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.69 SAR 2.57

85.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.20 SAR 0.75

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.56 SAR 5.86

-9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.94 SAR 3.51

136.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.99 SAR 7.47

-28.64%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$3.91 SAR 14.67

-35.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.66 SAR 32.50

-16.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.22 SAR 42.12

-31.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$13.79 SAR 51.7

-7.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.09 SAR 7.83

33.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.44 SAR 5.40

-4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.81 SAR 6.81

40.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.75 SAR 6.58

21.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.47 SAR 5.53

31.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.97 SAR 3.63

94.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.98 SAR 7.45

-41.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.85 SAR 3.17

38.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.72 SAR 17.69

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$5.51 SAR 20.68

-21.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.90 SAR 3.37

-38.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$55.6 SAR 208

-52.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.37 SAR 5.15

262.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$3.30 SAR 12.38

0.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.26 SAR 34.75

-42.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.63 SAR 2.38

128.57%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$36.3K SAR 136.4K

-43.14%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$21.6K SAR 81.1K

8.58%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$61.2 SAR 230

38.50%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$43.31 SAR 163

-45.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$65.9 SAR 247

-56.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$195 SAR 733

-70.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$95.1 SAR 357

-69.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$10.51 SAR 39.44

-51.09%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$66.2 SAR 248

212.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$13.6K SAR 51.0K

-71.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$50.7 SAR 190

-14.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$42.77 SAR 161

-3.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$77.0 SAR 289

-3.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$90.4 SAR 339

-1.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$366 SAR 1,375

167.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$449 SAR 1,683

-15.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,804 SAR 10.5K

-73.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.5

154.44%

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 Dhahran: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Dhahran

$449 32.7% 17.8% $68

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Dhahran

$232 16.9% 9.1% $23

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Dhahran

$112 8.2% 44.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Dhahran

$170 12.4% 24.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Dhahran

$117 8.6% 5.1% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Dhahran

$216 15.8% 221% $149

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Dhahran

$77 5.6% 52.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $366 in Dhahran. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dhahran are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $40 in Dhahran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $232 – making Dhahran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

03:14 3:14 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

120,521

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dhahran

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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhahran costs about 14% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,060 in Dhahran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dhahran, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,373 in Dhahran. That makes Playa del Carmen about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,373 in Dhahran. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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