Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Riyadh is 0.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 38.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Riyadh is 30.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.12 SAR 30.47
$11.99 MX$227
-32.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.2 SAR 199
$42.47 MX$803
25.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.1 SAR 30.38
$10.47 MX$198
-22.64%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 SAR 6.66
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 SAR 8.35
-
-
Cappuccino
$4.06 SAR 15.23
$3.6 MX$68.2
12.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 SAR 2.71
$1.44 MX$27.16
-50.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 SAR 1.08
$0.89 MX$16.79
-67.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.09 MX$58.5
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.58 MX$86.6
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 SAR 6.38
$1.38 MX$26.04
23.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 SAR 4.92
$1.85 MX$34.9
-29.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.37 SAR 8.87
$1.57 MX$29.68
50.96%
Eggs
$2.63 SAR 9.86
$2.55 MX$48.3
3.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.31 SAR 31.16
$8.61 MX$163
-3.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.9 SAR 37.13
$8.54 MX$161
15.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.74 SAR 55.3
$10.98 MX$208
34.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 SAR 8.4
$2.72 MX$51.4
-17.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 SAR 6.58
$1.51 MX$28.57
15.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 SAR 7.02
$1.88 MX$35.63
-0.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 SAR 5.91
$2.19 MX$41.42
-28.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 SAR 4.84
$1.87 MX$35.3
-31.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 SAR 5.48
$2.19 MX$41.37
-33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 SAR 5.21
$1.07 MX$20.23
29.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 SAR 1.93
$1.09 MX$20.64
-53.21%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$9.47 SAR 35.52
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 SAR 6.7
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 SAR 8.79
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.19 SAR 26.95
$3.96 MX$74.9
81.57%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$8.86 MX$167
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.72 MX$32.53
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.61 MX$49.37
-
🚌 Getting Around
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.09 SAR 4.09
$0.52 MX$9.74
109.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.56 SAR 137
$26.59 MX$503
37.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 SAR 11.91
$3.24 MX$61.2
-2.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 SAR 6.81
$2.38 MX$44.94
-23.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.18 SAR 49.46
$3.11 MX$58.7
323.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 SAR 2.4
$1.31 MX$24.85
-51.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K SAR 130.6K
$30.3K MX$573K
14.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K SAR 87.5K
$24K MX$453.6K
-2.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$106 SAR 396
$84.2 MX$1,592
25.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.22 SAR 128
$22.14 MX$419
54.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$75.1 SAR 282
$30.14 MX$570
149.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$107 SAR 400
$52 MX$983
105.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$58.4 SAR 219
$18.72 MX$354
211.86%
Cinema Ticket
$15.84 SAR 59.4
$5.07 MX$95.9
212.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$456 SAR 1,711
$200 MX$3,787
127.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,612 SAR 36.1K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
80.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60 SAR 225
$35.74 MX$676
67.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.8 SAR 239
$39.8 MX$753
60.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 SAR 398
$79 MX$1,493
34.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.1 SAR 368
$88.4 MX$1,671
11.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,087 SAR 4,076
$965 MX$18.3K
12.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$846 SAR 3,174
$474 MX$8,968
78.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,086 SAR 7,824
$1,653 MX$31.2K
26.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,109 SAR 4,161
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-7.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,875 SAR 10.8K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-6.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,189 SAR 8,211
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-70.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,465 SAR 9,246
$792 MX$15K
211.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.31
11.42
-53.50%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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