Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qatif and Playa del Carmen

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.

53

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
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Qatif Living Index
58

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

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Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Qatif and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Qatif is about 8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 SAR 13.15

$10.92 MX$205

-67.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.91 SAR 131

$43.37 MX$814

-19.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 SAR 24.48

$11.78 MX$221

-44.65%

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

$3.10 SAR 11.62

$3.81 MX$71.5

-18.64%

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

$0.77 SAR 2.89

$1.28 MX$24.07

-39.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.72

$0.78 MX$14.70

-75.64%

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)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$1.41 MX$26.40

26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 SAR 3.42

$2.22 MX$41.62

-59.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 SAR 7.20

$1.42 MX$26.61

35.21%

Eggs

$2.10 SAR 7.89

$2.52 MX$47.36

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 SAR 22.14

$7.26 MX$136

-18.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 SAR 29.64

$7.70 MX$144

2.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 SAR 47.44

$12.69 MX$238

-0.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

$2.78 MX$52.3

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.41

$1.37 MX$25.68

24.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.95

$2.55 MX$47.89

-37.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 SAR 2.52

$2.12 MX$39.86

-68.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 SAR 4.05

$1.94 MX$36.39

-44.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 SAR 4.26

$1.89 MX$35.41

-40.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 SAR 3.58

$1.15 MX$21.53

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 SAR 2.07

$1.18 MX$22.13

-53.39%

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)

$6.26 SAR 23.48

$4.30 MX$80.6

45.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.09

$0.55 MX$10.39

98.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.50 SAR 137

$26.62 MX$500

37.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

$4.97 MX$93.3

-50.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 SAR 2.07

$3.33 MX$62.5

-83.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.24 SAR 49.70

$5.36 MX$101

147.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.29

$1.44 MX$27.11

-57.64%

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

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

40.66%

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

$20.3K SAR 76.3K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-13.37%

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

$104 SAR 388

$84.8 MX$1,592

22.08%

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

$32.15 SAR 121

$23.41 MX$439

37.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 SAR 222

$28.66 MX$538

106.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.4 SAR 298

$57.1 MX$1,071

39.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.38 SAR 80.2

$28.91 MX$543

-26.05%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 SAR 49.03

$5.14 MX$96.5

154.28%

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

$264 SAR 992

$207 MX$3,878

28.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,860 SAR 29.5K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

100.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.16 SAR 121

$43.35 MX$814

-25.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.10 SAR 79.2

$41.44 MX$778

-49.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 SAR 358

$74.2 MX$1,393

28.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 SAR 340

$89.3 MX$1,676

1.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 SAR 2,199

$980 MX$18.4K

-40.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 SAR 1,402

$381 MX$7,150

-1.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 SAR 3,029

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-52.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 SAR 2,171

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-46.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$943 SAR 3,537

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-76.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$796 SAR 2,987

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-87.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,257 SAR 8,471

$735 MX$13.8K

207.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

11.45

-51.97%

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

Last update for Qatif: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Qatif

$374 33.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 1.9% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qatif

$195 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 29.8% $58

Groceries & Markets

Qatif

$185 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 37.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Qatif

$108 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.7% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Qatif

$106 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 36.2% $38

Eating Out

Qatif

$89 8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 128% $114

Getting Around

Qatif

$46 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 9.5% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $586 in Qatif versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $35 in Qatif versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $255 – making Qatif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Qatif

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

17:18 5:18 PM

8 h behind Qatif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,332

149,923

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

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

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Qatif
Playa del Carmen

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

Qatif vs Playa del Carmen: 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 $1,653 per month in Qatif and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,102 in Qatif and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,102 in Qatif and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, 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.