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: $1,266 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,011 in Ha'il.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,279 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,581 in Ha'il.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,292 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,152 in Ha'il.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 25% more expensive than in Ha'il, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 7% lower, Ha'il 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.60 MX$199

$5.21 SAR 19.57

122.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.11 MX$809

$37.78 SAR 142

24.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 MX$204

$6.12 SAR 22.98

94.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 SAR 4.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 SAR 7.52

Cappuccino

$3.98 MX$68.2

$2.63 SAR 9.87

51.33%

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

$1.43 MX$24.49

$0.61 SAR 2.29

134.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$14.16

$0.24 SAR 0.89

241.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$54.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 MX$117

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$28.76

$1.72 SAR 6.45

-2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$37.71

$0.84 SAR 3.16

161.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$29.32

$1.89 SAR 7.10

-9.52%

Eggs

$2.74 MX$47.05

$1.94 SAR 7.27

41.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 MX$164

$6.82 SAR 25.63

40.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 MX$155

$8.52 SAR 32.01

5.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 MX$220

$8.27 SAR 31.06

54.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$49.58

$1.54 SAR 5.79

87.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$25.70

$1.57 SAR 5.90

-4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 MX$36.87

$1.25 SAR 4.68

72.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.79

$2.04 SAR 7.68

10.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$34.00

$1.32 SAR 4.94

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.15

$1.61 SAR 6.05

23.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 MX$21.18

$1.14 SAR 4.29

7.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$20.54

$0.48 SAR 1.82

150.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.74 SAR 10.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SAR 6.34

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.55 MX$78.1

$6.47 SAR 24.29

-29.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$178

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MX$27.79

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$49.44

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.30

$1.10 SAR 4.14

-45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.80 MX$494

$36.42 SAR 137

-20.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$92.5

$2.87 SAR 10.77

87.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.73 MX$64.0

$1.82 SAR 6.82

104.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 MX$99.0

$13.42 SAR 50.4

-57.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$26.37

$0.61 SAR 2.27

152.46%

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

$22.5K MX$387.0K

$45.0K SAR 169.0K

-49.90%

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

$26.1K MX$447.3K

$21.6K SAR 81.3K

20.36%

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

$91.4 MX$1,569

$54.2 SAR 204

68.50%

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

$25.20 MX$433

$21.14 SAR 79.4

19.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.24 MX$536

$46.43 SAR 174

-32.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 MX$1,154

$66.4 SAR 249

1.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 MX$500

$36.77 SAR 138

-20.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MX$83.5

$14.92 SAR 56.0

-67.43%

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

$224 MX$3,839

$349 SAR 1,311

-35.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,229 MX$72.6K

$6,537 SAR 24.5K

-35.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.10 MX$808

$50.8 SAR 191

-7.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 MX$760

$59.0 SAR 221

-24.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 MX$1,375

$97.2 SAR 365

-17.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 MX$1,591

$89.9 SAR 337

3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 MX$18.2K

$243 SAR 912

337.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$6,698

$344 SAR 1,292

13.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 MX$36.9K

$366 SAR 1,374

487.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 MX$21.8K

$540 SAR 2,030

135.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,001 MX$68.7K

$2,363 SAR 8,874

69.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,502 MX$111.6K

$1,352 SAR 5,076

381.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.0K

$1,084 SAR 4,070

-30.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.47

109.32%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 12, 2026

Last update for Ha'il: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,063 in Playa del Carmen and $243 in Ha'il. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ha'il pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $38.00 in Ha'il for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 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 25% 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, salaries run 43% lower in Ha'il. 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: $1,063 in Playa del Carmen versus $243 in Ha'il. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in Playa del Carmen versus $349 in Ha'il. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,011 in Ha'il versus $1,266 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 $1,011 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 25% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.