Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Khamis Mushayt

For one person, living is cheaper in Khamis Mushayt: $1,113 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Khamis Mushayt
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Khamis Mushayt Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Khamis Mushayt

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Khamis Mushayt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Khamis Mushayt $1,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,645 in Khamis Mushayt.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Khamis Mushayt $1,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,178 in Khamis Mushayt.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Khamis Mushayt $2,178

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 8% more expensive than in Khamis Mushayt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Khamis Mushayt 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$4.56 SAR 17.11

133.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$32.11 SAR 121

36.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.89 SAR 25.87

71.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.97

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.94 SAR 11.04

28.91%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.68 SAR 2.56

91.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.21 SAR 0.79

295.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.63 SAR 6.11

-13.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.39 SAR 1.46

464.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$3.28 SAR 12.31

-55.18%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.43 SAR 9.11

2.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.41 SAR 24.06

13.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.54 SAR 20.80

43.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$12.76 SAR 47.89

0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.23 SAR 8.35

30.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.69 SAR 6.33

-18.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.60 SAR 6.02

55.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.61 SAR 6.02

26.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.21 SAR 4.56

66.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.31 SAR 4.91

45.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.29 SAR 4.83

-11.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.52 SAR 1.96

138.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$6.81 SAR 25.56

-37.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.92 SAR 3.47

-44.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$35.04 SAR 132

-21.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.69 SAR 10.09

76.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.90 SAR 7.14

71.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$13.69 SAR 51.4

-60.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.64 SAR 2.42

139.06%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$32.9K SAR 123.6K

-35.58%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

3.54%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$103 SAR 386

-18.74%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$32.00 SAR 120

-27.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$59.3 SAR 223

-53.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$77.6 SAR 291

-27.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$13.30 SAR 49.94

-62.41%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$443 SAR 1,662

-53.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$10.2K SAR 38.2K

-48.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$42.84 SAR 161

1.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$62.1 SAR 233

-31.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$100 SAR 375

-27.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$86.1 SAR 323

2.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$484 SAR 1,818

105.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$355 SAR 1,334

7.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$939 SAR 3,524

78.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$551 SAR 2,069

96.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,026 SAR 7,606

92.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,134 SAR 4,258

441.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$1,567 SAR 5,880

-46.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.54

106.68%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Khamis Mushayt: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Khamis Mushayt

$355 31.9% 7.1% $27

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Khamis Mushayt

$182 16.3% 29.5% $76

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Khamis Mushayt

$96 8.6% 52.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Khamis Mushayt

$194 17.4% 44.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Khamis Mushayt

$131 11.8% 17.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Khamis Mushayt

$104 9.4% 56.9% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Khamis Mushayt

$51 4.6% 1% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $484 in Khamis Mushayt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Khamis Mushayt pays 88% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $32 in Khamis Mushayt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $182 per month, with Khamis Mushayt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 Khamis Mushayt

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

05:47 5:47 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

430,828

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.23 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Khamis Mushayt 13,040 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Khamis Mushayt

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 Khamis Mushayt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khamis Mushayt wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Khamis Mushayt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $484 in Khamis Mushayt. 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 22% less than in Khamis Mushayt. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $443 in Khamis Mushayt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Khamis Mushayt is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.