Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,395 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
Learn more

Jeddah Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,395 in Jeddah, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Jeddah $1,395

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,167 in Jeddah, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Jeddah $2,167

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,940 in Jeddah, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Jeddah $2,940

Playa del Carmen is about 14% cheaper than Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Jeddah is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$6.16 SAR 23.09

77.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$79.6 SAR 299

-45.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$9.60 SAR 36.02

22.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 SAR 8.74

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 SAR 9.96

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.78 SAR 14.18

0.79%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.07 SAR 4.01

19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.26 SAR 0.98

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-19.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.33 SAR 4.99

66.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.26 SAR 8.47

-37.17%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.48 SAR 9.31

1.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.52 SAR 24.46

11.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$8.02 SAR 30.08

-3.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$12.98 SAR 48.69

-2.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.10 SAR 7.88

32.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.67 SAR 6.27

-17.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.55 SAR 5.80

64.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.67 SAR 6.27

26.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.17 SAR 4.37

65.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.27 SAR 4.75

48.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.11 SAR 4.17

3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.54 SAR 2.04

118.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.24 SAR 15.90

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SAR 9.45

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$6.59 SAR 24.72

-34.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.89 SAR 3.34

-38.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$55.1 SAR 207

-51.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.14 SAR 11.79

58.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.76 SAR 6.62

89.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$13.78 SAR 51.7

-61.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.64 SAR 2.40

125.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$38.9K SAR 145.9K

-46.85%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

8.32%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$91.3 SAR 342

-7.09%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$38.64 SAR 145

-39.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$67.0 SAR 251

-57.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$69.7 SAR 261

-18.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$38.79 SAR 146

-25.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$11.88 SAR 44.57

-56.73%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$786 SAR 2,950

-73.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$16.6K SAR 62.3K

-76.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$74.5 SAR 280

-41.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$56.0 SAR 210

-26.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$101 SAR 378

-26.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$95.7 SAR 359

-6.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$812 SAR 3,047

20.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$558 SAR 2,092

-31.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,315 SAR 4,932

29.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$863 SAR 3,236

24.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,688 SAR 6,333

133.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,091 SAR 4,093

464.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,691 SAR 6,344

-56.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.39

112.43%

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 Jeddah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Jeddah

$558 40% 46.4% $177

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Jeddah

$200 14.4% 21.3% $54

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Jeddah

$129 9.2% 36.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Jeddah

$197 14.1% 43.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Jeddah

$147 10.6% 31.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Jeddah

$93 6.7% 38.8% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Jeddah

$71 5.1% 39.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $812 in Jeddah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Jeddah are about 2.3 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 $80 in Jeddah. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $200 in Jeddah – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

05:13 5:13 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,430,697

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 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 = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Jeddah 12,530 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jeddah

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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,395 in Jeddah – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,092 in Jeddah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jeddah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $812 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $80 in Jeddah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,395 in Jeddah. That makes Playa del Carmen about 14% cheaper.

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 $1,395 in Jeddah. 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, Jeddah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.