Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tabuk and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Tabuk and in Playa del Carmen: $1,178 and $1,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tabuk
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,178
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tabuk 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 Tabuk and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,178 per month in Tabuk vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tabuk $1,178
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,766 per month in Tabuk vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tabuk $1,766
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,354 per month in Tabuk vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tabuk $2,354
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

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

Both Tabuk and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tabuk 13% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tabuk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.33 SAR 27.50
$10.67 MX$200
-31.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.31 SAR 118
$43.80 MX$823
-28.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.55 SAR 28.34
$11.79 MX$221
-35.96%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.35 SAR 5.05
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 SAR 6.01
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.13 SAR 11.76
$3.79 MX$71.1
-17.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 SAR 2.73
$1.30 MX$24.36
-43.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 SAR 0.97
$0.83 MX$15.65
-68.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.15 MX$59.1
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.93 MX$92.7
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tabuk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 SAR 7.11
$1.41 MX$26.46
34.04%
White Bread (500g)
$0.91 SAR 3.40
$2.20 MX$41.23
-58.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.68 SAR 10.05
$1.47 MX$27.66
82.31%
Eggs
$2.95 SAR 11.06
$2.50 MX$46.89
18.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.63 SAR 47.41
$7.29 MX$137
73.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 SAR 25.29
$7.95 MX$149
-15.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.74 SAR 47.81
$12.86 MX$242
-0.93%
Apples (1kg)
$1.95 SAR 7.31
$2.90 MX$54.4
-32.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 SAR 6.28
$1.38 MX$25.98
21.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.81 SAR 6.78
$2.49 MX$46.78
-27.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 SAR 8.04
$2.03 MX$38.12
5.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.69 SAR 6.36
$2.02 MX$38.03
-16.34%
Onion (1kg)
$2.09 SAR 7.86
$1.90 MX$35.74
10.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 SAR 7.09
$1.14 MX$21.49
65.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 SAR 2.24
$1.24 MX$23.27
-51.61%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.86 SAR 10.72
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 SAR 6.86
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 SAR 7.80
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.62 SAR 24.86
$4.27 MX$80.2
55.04%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$9.81 MX$184
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.59 MX$29.78
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.75 MX$51.6
-
🚌 Getting Around
Tabuk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.05 SAR 3.94
$0.51 MX$9.67
105.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.23 SAR 136
$27.39 MX$514
32.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.70 SAR 10.14
$4.76 MX$89.4
-43.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.69 SAR 6.34
$3.25 MX$61.0
-48.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.98 SAR 56.2
$5.39 MX$101
177.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.65 SAR 2.44
$1.53 MX$28.70
-57.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.0K SAR 101.5K
$21.2K MX$398.4K
27.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.4K SAR 76.6K
$23.3K MX$436.9K
-12.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tabuk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 SAR 392
$83.5 MX$1,568
25.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.05 SAR 135
$23.19 MX$435
55.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$75.8 SAR 284
$27.61 MX$519
174.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tabuk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$79.5 SAR 298
$56.4 MX$1,060
40.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.19 MX$529
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.35 SAR 50.1
$5.00 MX$93.9
167.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tabuk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$428 SAR 1,605
$207 MX$3,889
106.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,508 SAR 31.9K
$5,231 MX$98.2K
62.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tabuk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.00 SAR 150
$43.45 MX$816
-7.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.44 SAR 178
$42.54 MX$799
11.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.1 SAR 338
$72.8 MX$1,367
23.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.1 SAR 342
$88.4 MX$1,660
3.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tabuk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$309 SAR 1,159
$995 MX$18.7K
-68.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$338 SAR 1,270
$382 MX$7,181
-11.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$556 SAR 2,087
$1,674 MX$31.4K
-66.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$567 SAR 2,128
$1,081 MX$20.3K
-47.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,966 SAR 7,379
$3,909 MX$73.4K
-49.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,192 SAR 4,474
$6,138 MX$115.3K
-80.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tabuk
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,716 SAR 6,442
$832 MX$15.6K
106.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
11.45
-51.62%

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

Last update for Tabuk: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tabuk
$338
Playa del Carmen
$382 13% $44
Groceries & Markets
Tabuk
$222
Playa del Carmen
$257 15.9% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tabuk
$216
Playa del Carmen
$134 37.9% $82
Eating Out
Tabuk
$123
Playa del Carmen
$200 63.1% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Tabuk
$121
Playa del Carmen
$111 8% $9.7
Sport & Entertainment
Tabuk
$106
Playa del Carmen
$66 37.4% $40
Getting Around
Tabuk
$52
Playa del Carmen
$50 2.2% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $309 in Tabuk versus $995 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 Tabuk are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Tabuk versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $257 – making Tabuk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Tabuk
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
07:29 7:29 AM
23:29 11:29 PM
8 h behind Tabuk
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
512,629
149,923
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tabuk Playa del Carmen 11,870 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tabuk
  • 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
Tabuk vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,767 per month in Tabuk and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Tabuk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
How do food prices compare in Tabuk and in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 16% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $428 per month in Tabuk and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Tabuk or Playa del Carmen?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,178 in Tabuk and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Tabuk or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,178 in Tabuk to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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