Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yanbu and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Yanbu: $1,021 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Yanbu
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Yanbu Living Index
58

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

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Yanbu

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Yanbu vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yanbu $1,021
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,620 per month in Yanbu vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yanbu $1,620
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Yanbu vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yanbu $2,220
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Yanbu is about 15% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Yanbu and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Yanbu 25% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 SAR 22.48

$10.92 MX$205

-45.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.12 SAR 143

$43.37 MX$815

-12.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 SAR 25.03

$11.78 MX$221

-43.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Cappuccino

$3.90 SAR 14.65

$3.81 MX$71.6

2.36%

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

$0.82 SAR 3.07

$1.28 MX$24.10

-35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 SAR 0.68

$0.78 MX$14.71

-76.92%

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)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.41 MX$26.43

21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 SAR 3.52

$2.22 MX$41.66

-57.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

$1.42 MX$26.64

54.93%

Eggs

$2.53 SAR 9.49

$2.52 MX$47.41

0.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 SAR 23.76

$7.26 MX$137

-12.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 SAR 31.64

$7.70 MX$145

9.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.00 SAR 48.78

$12.69 MX$239

2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 SAR 7.97

$2.78 MX$52.3

-23.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.41

$1.37 MX$25.71

24.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 SAR 5.46

$2.55 MX$47.94

-42.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.06

$2.12 MX$39.90

-23.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.39

$1.94 MX$36.43

-39.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.89 MX$35.44

-44.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 SAR 4.13

$1.15 MX$21.55

-4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.03

$1.18 MX$22.16

-54.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.48 SAR 24.32

$4.30 MX$80.7

50.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 SAR 3.97

$0.55 MX$10.40

92.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.43 SAR 140

$26.62 MX$500

40.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 SAR 11.82

$4.97 MX$93.4

-36.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 SAR 2.94

$3.33 MX$62.6

-76.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.66 SAR 51.3

$5.36 MX$101

154.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 SAR 2.32

$1.44 MX$27.14

-56.94%

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

$37.9K SAR 142.4K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

83.55%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.5K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-6.30%

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

$91.4 SAR 343

$84.8 MX$1,594

7.84%

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

$22.38 SAR 84.0

$23.41 MX$440

-4.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 SAR 251

$28.66 MX$539

133.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.6 SAR 359

$57.1 MX$1,072

67.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.53 SAR 99.6

$28.91 MX$543

-8.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 SAR 44.21

$5.14 MX$96.6

129.18%

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

$263 SAR 987

$207 MX$3,882

27.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,844 SAR 14.4K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-2.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.3 SAR 279

$43.35 MX$815

71.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 SAR 217

$41.44 MX$779

39.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 SAR 372

$74.2 MX$1,394

33.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 SAR 351

$89.3 MX$1,677

4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 SAR 1,181

$980 MX$18.4K

-67.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 SAR 790

$381 MX$7,157

-44.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 SAR 2,288

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-64.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 SAR 1,552

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-61.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,702 SAR 6,387

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-56.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,237 SAR 4,644

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-79.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,411 SAR 12.8K

$735 MX$13.8K

364.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.45

-52.93%

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

Last update for Yanbu: October 25, 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

Yanbu

$210 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 80.9% $170

Groceries & Markets

Yanbu

$197 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yanbu

$181 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 24.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Yanbu

$146 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Yanbu

$119 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 43.5% $52

Eating Out

Yanbu

$119 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 70.4% $84

Getting Around

Yanbu

$49 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 3.5% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $315 in Yanbu 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 Yanbu are about 4.6 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 $38 in Yanbu versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $255 – making Yanbu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Yanbu

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

22:59 10:59 PM

8 h behind Yanbu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

233,236

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 = 5.32 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 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yanbu Playa del Carmen 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Yanbu
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

Yanbu vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Yanbu 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 Yanbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $315 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,021 in Yanbu and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Yanbu about 15% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,021 in Yanbu and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,021 in Yanbu to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.