Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Umluj

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Umluj: $1,202 and $1,230 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Umluj, Saudi Arabia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Umluj
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,230
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,230 in Umluj, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Umluj $1,230

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,824 in Umluj, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Umluj $1,824

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,418 in Umluj, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Umluj $2,418

Playa del Carmen and Umluj have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Umluj are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Umluj 9% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Umluj
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$6.59 SAR 24.75
61.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$39.59 SAR 149
10.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$8.45 SAR 31.71
39.53%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.68 SAR 6.30
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.54 SAR 9.55
-
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.45 SAR 12.96
9.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$0.83 SAR 3.12
56.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.27 SAR 1.03
207.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Umluj
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.92 SAR 7.21
-26.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.12 SAR 4.21
96.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$2.03 SAR 7.60
-27.59%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$2.48 SAR 9.30
0.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$6.36 SAR 23.88
14.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$8.73 SAR 32.76
-8.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$14.21 SAR 53.3
-9.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$2.30 SAR 8.62
26.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.96 SAR 7.35
-29.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$1.37 SAR 5.16
81.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$1.40 SAR 5.26
45.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$1.08 SAR 4.04
87.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$1.27 SAR 4.78
49.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.41 SAR 5.28
-19.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.48 SAR 1.82
158.33%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.56 SAR 9.61
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.55 SAR 5.83
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.97 SAR 7.40
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$5.89 SAR 22.10
-27.50%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Umluj
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$1.19 SAR 4.48
-57.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$39.20 SAR 147
-30.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$2.96 SAR 11.11
60.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$1.57 SAR 5.90
107.01%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$15.82 SAR 59.4
-65.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$0.53 SAR 1.99
188.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$33.3K SAR 125.1K
-36.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$21.3K SAR 79.8K
9.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Umluj
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$95.4 SAR 358
-12.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$35.71 SAR 134
-35.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$69.3 SAR 260
-60.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Umluj
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$80.5 SAR 302
-29.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$13.83 SAR 51.9
-63.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Umluj
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$378 SAR 1,420
-45.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$11.6K SAR 43.4K
-54.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Umluj
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$43.21 SAR 162
0.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$62.5 SAR 234
-31.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$92.6 SAR 348
-21.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$87.8 SAR 330
0.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Umluj
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$558 SAR 2,093
78.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$407 SAR 1,528
-6.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$875 SAR 3,286
91.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$611 SAR 2,292
76.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$2,201 SAR 8,261
77.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$1,179 SAR 4,427
420.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Umluj
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$4,181 SAR 15.7K
-80.09%
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 Umluj: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Umluj
$407 6.4% $25
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Umluj
$207 19.7% $51
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Umluj
$124 38.1% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Umluj
$200 49.2% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Umluj
$129 15.8% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Umluj
$108 62.8% $42
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Umluj
$55 8.6% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $558 in Umluj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Umluj are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $40 in Umluj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $207 – making Umluj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇦 Umluj
🕒 Local time
22:11 10:11 PM
06:11 6:11 AM
8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
37,757
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Umluj 12,150 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Umluj

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 Umluj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,845 in Umluj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Umluj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $558 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Umluj?
Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Umluj – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $378 in Umluj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Umluj?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,230 in Umluj, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Umluj?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,230 in Umluj. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Umluj makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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