Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rabigh

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabigh: $959 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Rabigh
Learn more

Rabigh Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Rabigh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $959 in Rabigh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Rabigh $959

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,473 in Rabigh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Rabigh $1,473

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,987 in Rabigh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Rabigh $1,987

Playa del Carmen costs about 25% more than Rabigh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rabigh are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Rabigh 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$4.61 SAR 17.31

131.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$26.72 SAR 100

63.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.98 SAR 26.19

68.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.68 SAR 10.04

41.42%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.67 SAR 2.50

94.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.25 SAR 0.94

232.00%

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

$1.84 SAR 6.91

-23.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.01 SAR 3.80

117.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.16 SAR 8.10

-31.94%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$2.66 SAR 9.97

-6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.07 SAR 22.78

20.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$11.92 SAR 44.73

-33.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$12.76 SAR 47.90

0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.08 SAR 7.82

39.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.64 SAR 6.17

-15.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$1.73 SAR 6.49

43.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.47 SAR 5.51

38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.32 SAR 4.97

53.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.50 SAR 5.61

26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.09 SAR 4.10

4.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.72 SAR 2.71

72.22%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.22

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$7.96 SAR 29.86

-46.36%

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

$1.04 SAR 3.92

-50.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$36.96 SAR 139

-25.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.46 SAR 9.24

93.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$2.70 SAR 10.13

20.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$13.59 SAR 51.0

-60.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.64 SAR 2.40

139.06%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$25.9K SAR 97.0K

-17.94%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$21.9K SAR 82.1K

6.37%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$67.6 SAR 254

23.43%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$35.15 SAR 132

-34.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$62.3 SAR 234

-55.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$80.0 SAR 300

-29.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$15.44 SAR 58.0

-67.62%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$420 SAR 1,575

-50.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$7,799 SAR 29.3K

-32.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$13.60 SAR 51.0

219.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$55.6 SAR 209

-23.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$40.18 SAR 151

81.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$52.7 SAR 198

67.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$337 SAR 1,265

195.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$241 SAR 903

58.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$612 SAR 2,296

173.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$431 SAR 1,619

150.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,983 SAR 7,442

97.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,363 SAR 5,117

350.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.25

118.10%

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 Rabigh: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Rabigh

$241 25.1% 37.1% $142

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Rabigh

$218 22.8% 15.2% $39

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Rabigh

$94 9.8% 53.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Rabigh

$165 17.2% 22.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Rabigh

$73 7.6% 34.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Rabigh

$111 11.6% 66.9% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Rabigh

$57 6% 13.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $337 in Rabigh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $27 in Rabigh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $218 – making Rabigh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇦 Rabigh

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

06:18 6:18 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

92,072

💱 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rabigh 12,440 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rabigh

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 Rabigh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,438 in Rabigh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rabigh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $959 in Rabigh. That makes Rabigh about 20% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $959 in Rabigh to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.