Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Qatif

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatif: $1,102 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
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Qatif Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,102 in Qatif, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Qatif $1,102

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,640 in Qatif, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Qatif $1,640

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,178 in Qatif, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Qatif $2,178

Playa del Carmen costs about 9% more than Qatif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Qatif are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Qatif 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.50 SAR 13.15

212.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$34.91 SAR 131

24.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.52 SAR 24.48

80.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 SAR 7.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SAR 8.39

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.10 SAR 11.63

22.90%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.77 SAR 2.89

66.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.19 SAR 0.72

310.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.78 SAR 6.68

-20.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.91 SAR 3.42

143.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.92 SAR 7.21

-26.04%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.10 SAR 7.89

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$5.90 SAR 22.14

23.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$7.90 SAR 29.64

-2.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$12.64 SAR 47.44

0.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.29 SAR 8.58

21.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.71 SAR 6.41

-19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.59 SAR 5.95

60.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.67 SAR 2.52

216.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.08 SAR 4.05

79.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.13 SAR 4.26

67.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.95 SAR 3.58

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.55 SAR 2.07

114.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.60 SAR 9.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SAR 8.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$6.26 SAR 23.48

-31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.09 SAR 4.09

-49.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$36.50 SAR 137

-27.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.46 SAR 9.22

102.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.55 SAR 2.07

505.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$13.24 SAR 49.71

-59.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.61 SAR 2.29

136.07%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

-28.91%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$20.3K SAR 76.3K

15.44%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$104 SAR 388

-18.09%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$32.15 SAR 121

-27.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$59.3 SAR 222

-51.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$79.4 SAR 298

-28.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$21.38 SAR 80.2

35.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$13.07 SAR 49.04

-60.67%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$264 SAR 992

-21.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$7,860 SAR 29.5K

-50.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$32.16 SAR 121

34.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$21.10 SAR 79.2

96.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$95.5 SAR 358

-22.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$90.7 SAR 340

-1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$586 SAR 2,199

67.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$374 SAR 1,402

1.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$807 SAR 3,029

111.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$578 SAR 2,171

85.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$943 SAR 3,537

318.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$796 SAR 2,987

673.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,257 SAR 8,472

-67.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.5

108.18%

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 Qatif: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Qatif

$374 33.9% 1.9% $7.2

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Qatif

$185 16.8% 27.2% $69

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Qatif

$89 8% 56.2% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Qatif

$195 17.7% 42.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Qatif

$108 9.8% 3.5% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Qatif

$106 9.6% 56.8% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Qatif

$46 4.2% 8.7% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $586 in Qatif. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Qatif are about 3.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $35 in Qatif. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $185 – making Qatif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 Qatif

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

04:02 4:02 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

87,332

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Qatif 13,020 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Qatif

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 Qatif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,653 in Qatif. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qatif, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $586 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,102 in Qatif. That makes Qatif about 8% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,102 in Qatif, 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 $1,102 in Qatif to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.