Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abadan, Iran and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Abadan: $534 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Abadan
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Abadan Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Abadan

🇮🇷 Iran

$534

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $534 in Abadan versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Abadan $534
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $851 in Abadan versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Abadan $851
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,167 in Abadan versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Abadan $1,167
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Abadan costs roughly 56% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Abadan 60% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 $2.96

$10.67 MX$200

-72.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.06 $16.06

$43.80 MX$819

-63.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 $3.94

$11.79 MX$220

-66.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

Cappuccino

$1.10 $1.10

$3.79 MX$70.8

-70.98%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$1.30 MX$24.26

-62.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.83 MX$15.59

18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.41 MX$26.35

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.20 MX$41.07

-78.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.47 MX$27.54

40.82%

Eggs

$1.18 $1.18

$2.50 MX$46.70

-52.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$7.29 MX$136

-38.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$7.95 MX$149

-57.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 $10.39

$12.86 MX$241

-19.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.90 MX$54.2

-64.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.38 MX$25.87

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.49 MX$46.59

-65.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 $0.56

$2.03 MX$37.97

-72.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$2.02 MX$37.88

-73.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.90 MX$35.60

-75.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.14 MX$21.41

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.24 MX$23.17

-80.65%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 $2.53

$4.27 MX$79.9

-40.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 $0.14

$0.51 MX$9.63

-72.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.46 $9.46

$27.39 MX$512

-65.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 $0.38

$4.76 MX$89.1

-92.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$3.25 MX$60.8

-91.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$5.39 MX$101

-51.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.53 MX$28.58

-94.12%

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

$50.0K $50.0K

$21.2K MX$396.8K

135.64%

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

$45.1K $45.1K

$23.3K MX$435.1K

94.03%

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

$13.23 $13.23

$83.5 MX$1,562

-84.15%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$23.19 MX$434

-93.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.02 $4.02

$27.61 MX$516

-85.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.95 $18.95

$56.4 MX$1,056

-66.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.28 $13.28

$28.19 MX$527

-52.89%

Cinema Ticket

$1.95 $1.95

$5.00 MX$93.5

-61.00%

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

$108 $108

$207 MX$3,873

-47.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,416 $2,416

$5,231 MX$97.8K

-53.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.77 $22.77

$43.45 MX$813

-47.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.89 $28.89

$42.54 MX$796

-32.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 $96.2

$72.8 MX$1,361

32.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 $73.1

$88.4 MX$1,653

-17.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 $290

$995 MX$18.6K

-70.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 $208

$382 MX$7,152

-45.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 $799

$1,674 MX$31.3K

-52.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 $363

$1,081 MX$20.2K

-66.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$712 $712

$3,909 MX$73.1K

-81.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 $1,037

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-83.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$447 $447

$832 MX$15.6K

-46.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

11.45

112.23%

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

Last update for Abadan: November 1, 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

Abadan

$208 38.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 83.9% $174

Groceries & Markets

Abadan

$119 22.2%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 117% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Abadan

$99 18.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 11.8% $12

Eating Out

Abadan

$55 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 267% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Abadan

$23 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 191% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abadan

$19 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 613% $115

Getting Around

Abadan

$12 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 327% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $290 in Abadan and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 86% 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: $16 in Abadan vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $119 vs $257 per month, with Abadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Abadan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

09:39 9:39 AM

8 h 30 min behind Abadan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,476

149,923

💱 Currency

USD USD

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Abadan Playa del Carmen 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Abadan
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

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

Abadan is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Abadan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $290 in Abadan versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abadan – a meal for two runs $16 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $534 per month in Abadan versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Abadan is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $534 in Abadan versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Abadan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Abadan 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.

Expats usually find Abadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.