Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ha'il Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ha'il

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,024 in Ha'il.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,474 in Ha'il.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,925 in Ha'il.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 26% more expensive than Ha'il, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 4% lower, Ha'il 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$209

$6.83 SAR 25.60

74.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$748

$25.28 SAR 94.8

69.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$185

$7.19 SAR 26.97

47.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 SAR 3.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 SAR 8.17

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.4

$3.29 SAR 12.35

10.03%

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

$1.47 MX$25.69

$1.04 SAR 3.92

41.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.51

$0.32 SAR 1.20

193.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$54.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$78.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$1.72 SAR 6.45

-16.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.97

$0.84 SAR 3.17

123.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.50

$1.83 SAR 6.85

-10.93%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$46.26

$1.97 SAR 7.40

34.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$144

$6.67 SAR 25.03

23.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$145

$8.91 SAR 33.42

-6.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$194

$8.23 SAR 30.85

34.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.40

$1.56 SAR 5.85

69.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.26

$1.50 SAR 5.62

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.79

$1.30 SAR 4.86

53.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.33

$1.96 SAR 7.34

6.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.29

$1.31 SAR 4.90

36.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.09

$1.63 SAR 6.13

33.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.84

$1.06 SAR 3.96

1.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.15

$0.48 SAR 1.82

116.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.57 SAR 9.65

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.92

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.5

$7.20 SAR 26.98

-44.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$179

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.71

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.07

$1.04 SAR 3.91

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$472

$39.36 SAR 148

-31.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$55.0

$2.69 SAR 10.08

16.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$42.04

$1.90 SAR 7.11

26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$54.0

$13.46 SAR 50.5

-77.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.28

$0.63 SAR 2.36

101.59%

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

$30.9K MX$540.4K

$26.6K SAR 99.6K

16.31%

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

$23.3K MX$408.0K

$22.1K SAR 82.9K

5.50%

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

$82.0 MX$1,435

$52.5 SAR 197

56.30%

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

$22.45 MX$393

$21.05 SAR 78.9

6.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$519

$47.26 SAR 177

-37.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$908

$67.0 SAR 251

-22.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$327

$35.14 SAR 132

-46.87%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$87.0

$14.69 SAR 55.1

-66.17%

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

$198 MX$3,462

$360 SAR 1,350

-45.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$92.3K

$6,874 SAR 25.8K

-23.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$636

$60.3 SAR 226

-39.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$701

$61.3 SAR 230

-34.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,398

$78.1 SAR 293

2.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,555

$83.1 SAR 311

7.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.9K

$483 SAR 1,813

99.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,133

$329 SAR 1,234

41.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.9K

$448 SAR 1,680

256.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.2K

$356 SAR 1,337

239.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

$2,369 SAR 8,883

66.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

$1,314 SAR 4,926

390.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.6K

$1,052 SAR 3,944

-31.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

4.42

158.37%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Last update for Ha'il: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $483 in Ha'il. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ha'il pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $25.00 in Ha'il for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $179 per month, with Ha'il cheaper across the board.

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 Ha'il: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha'il wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ha'il the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Ha'il earns 46% less. 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: $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $483 in Ha'il. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $198 in Playa del Carmen versus $360 in Ha'il. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,024 in Ha'il versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ha'il but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ha'il the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ha'il delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,024 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ha'il hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Ha'il 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 Ha'il gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.