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

😐 Solo nomad: Riyadh is 12% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 38.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Riyadh is 10.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 7.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.92 SAR 29.72
$11.85 MX$208
-33.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.9 SAR 198
$42.16 MX$742
25.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.85 SAR 29.43
$10.75 MX$189
-26.98%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.76 SAR 6.59
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 SAR 8.27
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.99 SAR 14.96
$3.47 MX$61.1
14.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 SAR 2.90
$1.45 MX$25.56
-46.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 SAR 1.07
$0.90 MX$15.88
-67.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.05 MX$53.7
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.42 MX$77.7
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 SAR 6.16
$1.37 MX$24.09
19.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.26 SAR 4.72
$1.87 MX$32.93
-32.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.44 SAR 9.15
$1.54 MX$27.15
58.44%
Eggs
$2.74 SAR 10.28
$2.50 MX$44.03
9.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.24 SAR 30.89
$8.61 MX$151
-4.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.10 SAR 37.88
$8.63 MX$152
17.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.73 SAR 55.3
$11.02 MX$194
33.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 SAR 8.64
$2.75 MX$48.36
-16.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 SAR 6.40
$1.43 MX$25.12
19.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 SAR 6.68
$1.87 MX$32.94
-4.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 SAR 5.75
$2.17 MX$38.13
-29.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 SAR 4.86
$1.88 MX$33.12
-30.85%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 SAR 5.65
$2.25 MX$39.51
-32.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 SAR 5.42
$1.07 MX$18.78
35.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 SAR 1.92
$1.07 MX$18.88
-52.34%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$8.14 SAR 30.53
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 SAR 6.45
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 SAR 9.07
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.50 SAR 28.14
$4.15 MX$73.1
80.72%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$10.34 MX$182
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.68 MX$29.54
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.48 MX$43.69
-
🚌 Getting Around
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 SAR 3.90
$0.55 MX$9.76
89.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.86 SAR 138
$26.53 MX$467
38.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.12 SAR 11.69
$3.22 MX$56.6
-3.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 SAR 7.17
$2.48 MX$43.65
-22.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.17 SAR 49.40
$3.11 MX$54.7
323.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.60 SAR 2.23
$1.26 MX$22.09
-52.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.0K SAR 131.1K
$30.7K MX$539.3K
14.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K SAR 88.6K
$24.0K MX$422.8K
-1.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$105 SAR 395
$82.5 MX$1,451
27.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.86 SAR 131
$22.29 MX$392
56.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$75.7 SAR 284
$30.02 MX$528
152.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$104 SAR 390
$51.4 MX$905
102.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$58.2 SAR 218
$18.29 MX$322
218.26%
Cinema Ticket
$16.02 SAR 60.1
$4.98 MX$87.7
221.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$465 SAR 1,745
$200 MX$3,518
132.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,705 SAR 36.4K
$5,304 MX$93.3K
82.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.4 SAR 223
$35.71 MX$628
66.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.7 SAR 239
$39.56 MX$696
61.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 SAR 401
$80.6 MX$1,417
32.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.0 SAR 367
$88.3 MX$1,554
10.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,091 SAR 4,089
$969 MX$17.1K
12.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$848 SAR 3,180
$482 MX$8,482
75.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,067 SAR 7,753
$1,595 MX$28.1K
29.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,112 SAR 4,168
$1,184 MX$20.8K
-6.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,924 SAR 11.0K
$4,050 MX$71.2K
-27.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,908 SAR 7,155
$6,522 MX$114.7K
-70.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Riyadh
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,382 SAR 8,931
$756 MX$13.3K
214.88%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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