Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,351 in Medina, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medina outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
Learn more

Medina Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,351 in Medina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Medina $1,351

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,806 in Medina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Medina $1,806

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,261 in Medina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Medina $2,261

Playa del Carmen is about 11% cheaper than Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$5.63 SAR 21.13

93.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$31.66 SAR 119

36.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.98 SAR 29.92

47.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.61 SAR 9.77

45.98%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.78 SAR 2.94

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.23 SAR 0.86

239.13%

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

$1.49 SAR 5.61

-5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.97 SAR 3.66

128.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.30 SAR 8.61

-38.26%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.12 SAR 7.95

18.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$5.38 SAR 20.20

34.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.26 SAR 27.24

6.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$12.83 SAR 48.14

-1.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.46 SAR 9.24

13.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.93 SAR 7.25

-29.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.34 SAR 8.78

8.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.55 SAR 5.80

36.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.41 SAR 5.30

37.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.32 SAR 4.96

43.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.90 SAR 3.38

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.69 SAR 2.60

71.01%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$7.36 SAR 27.61

-41.58%

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

$1.05 SAR 3.93

-47.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$37.74 SAR 142

-29.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.31 SAR 4.90

279.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.65 SAR 6.21

101.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$5.71 SAR 21.42

-6.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.63 SAR 2.38

128.57%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$42.7K SAR 160.3K

-51.64%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$20.9K SAR 78.2K

12.53%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$148 SAR 555

-42.67%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$27.56 SAR 103

-15.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$89.2 SAR 334

-67.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$77.9 SAR 292

-26.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$8.84 SAR 33.18

227.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$13.17 SAR 49.40

-60.97%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$293 SAR 1,100

-29.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,518 SAR 20.7K

-28.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$37.11 SAR 139

16.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$52.8 SAR 198

-21.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$65.9 SAR 247

12.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$68.1 SAR 255

31.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$550 SAR 2,064

78.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$533 SAR 1,999

-28.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$779 SAR 2,921

119.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$581 SAR 2,179

85.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,256 SAR 8,463

74.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,362 SAR 5,110

352.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,257 SAR 4,716

-41.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.17

174.58%

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 Medina: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Medina

$533 39.4% 39.9% $152

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Medina

$193 14.3% 24.2% $62

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Medina

$104 7.7% 48.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Medina

$265 19.6% 93.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Medina

$101 7.5% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Medina

$104 7.7% 54.9% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Medina

$52 3.8% 2.1% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $550 in Medina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 71% higher in Medina. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $32 in Medina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $193 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

08:13 8:13 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,100,093

💱 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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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Medina 12,370 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medina costs about 12% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $2,027 in Medina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $293 in Medina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Medina – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,351 in Medina, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 $1,351 in Medina. 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, Medina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.