Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $1,768 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Riyadh outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,768 in Riyadh versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Riyadh $1,768
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,557 in Riyadh versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Riyadh $2,557
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,345 in Riyadh versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Riyadh $3,345
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Riyadh is roughly 13% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riyadh 32% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.36

$11.12 MX$204

-27.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 SAR 250

$48.99 MX$900

35.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 SAR 30.47

$11.23 MX$206

-27.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$4.34 SAR 16.31

$3.76 MX$69.0

15.43%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$1.65 MX$30.34

-47.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.12

$1.28 MX$23.48

-76.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$104

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$1.81 MX$33.23

-2.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 SAR 4.97

$2.94 MX$54.0

-55.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 SAR 9.03

$2.05 MX$37.62

17.07%

Eggs

$3.06 SAR 11.48

$2.93 MX$53.7

4.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 SAR 39.91

$11.95 MX$219

-11.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 SAR 36.05

$9.51 MX$175

0.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.3

$14.84 MX$273

0.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 SAR 10.51

$3.14 MX$57.7

-10.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.45

$2.01 MX$36.99

-1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 SAR 9.43

$2.08 MX$38.10

20.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.75

$2.22 MX$40.72

-18.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.45

$2.06 MX$37.82

-42.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.01

$1.88 MX$34.46

-28.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 SAR 6.70

$1.48 MX$27.18

20.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.03

$1.35 MX$24.70

-60.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.44

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 SAR 28.26

$5.41 MX$99.3

39.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$310

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 SAR 3.96

$0.34 MX$6.33

208.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.18 SAR 140

$20.23 MX$371

83.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 SAR 12.35

$2.10 MX$38.47

56.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.19

$0.53 MX$9.74

260.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.43 SAR 50.5

$5.41 MX$99.3

148.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$1.52 MX$27.91

-57.24%

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

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

$21.7K MX$399.0K

59.35%

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

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

$24.8K MX$455.6K

-7.97%

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

$106 SAR 397

$63.0 MX$1,156

67.79%

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

$29.10 SAR 109

$28.88 MX$530

0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 SAR 273

$33.93 MX$623

114.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 SAR 343

$55.8 MX$1,024

63.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.4 SAR 212

$24.90 MX$457

126.39%

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 SAR 49.58

$6.77 MX$124

94.98%

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

$532 SAR 1,999

$428 MX$7,854

24.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

-13.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 SAR 215

$70.0 MX$1,286

-18.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$53.7 MX$986

1.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 SAR 393

$110 MX$2,016

-4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 SAR 397

$115 MX$2,115

-8.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 SAR 4,547

$1,062 MX$19.5K

13.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 SAR 3,132

$671 MX$12.3K

24.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 SAR 8,346

$2,379 MX$43.7K

-6.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 SAR 4,658

$1,260 MX$23.1K

-1.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

$3,716 MX$68.2K

-18.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 SAR 7,274

$1,976 MX$36.3K

-1.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,037 SAR 7,648

$997 MX$18.3K

104.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

11.3

-50.97%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$834 47.7%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 19.6% $163

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$242 13.9%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 34.9% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 11.9%

Mexico City

$126 8% 39.4% $82

Eating Out

Riyadh

$146 8.4%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 42% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$145 8.3%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 8.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$118 6.8%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 41.2% $49

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 51.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,211 in Riyadh and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 104% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Riyadh vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $242 vs $327, with Riyadh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

20:26 8:26 PM

9 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Riyadh Mexico City 13,880 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Mexico City

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

Riyadh vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riyadh and Mexico City differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,768 vs $1,561 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 104% higher in Riyadh, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,211 in Riyadh versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 84% less than in Riyadh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $532 in Riyadh versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $1,768 in Riyadh, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Riyadh. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Riyadh and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.