Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Abu Dhabi is 16.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 75.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Abu Dhabi is 51.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 53.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Abu Dhabi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.91 AED 40.05
$11.99 MX$227
-9.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 AED 248
$42.47 MX$803
59.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 AED 33.99
$10.47 MX$198
-11.56%
Cappuccino
$5.86 AED 21.53
$3.6 MX$68.2
62.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 AED 4.65
$1.44 MX$27.16
-11.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 AED 1.61
$0.89 MX$16.79
-50.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.7 AED 39.28
$3.09 MX$58.5
246.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.85 AED 39.84
$4.58 MX$86.6
136.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Abu Dhabi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 AED 7.14
$1.38 MX$26.04
40.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 AED 5.71
$1.85 MX$34.9
-16.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.46 AED 9.04
$1.57 MX$29.68
56.69%
Eggs
$3.63 AED 13.33
$2.55 MX$48.3
42.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.86 AED 39.89
$8.61 MX$163
26.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.52 AED 31.29
$8.54 MX$161
-0.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.11 AED 40.79
$10.98 MX$208
1.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 AED 8.76
$2.72 MX$51.4
-12.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 AED 6.4
$1.51 MX$28.57
15.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 AED 6.91
$1.88 MX$35.63
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 AED 5.53
$2.19 MX$41.42
-31.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 AED 4.31
$1.87 MX$35.3
-37.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 AED 5.03
$2.19 MX$41.37
-37.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 AED 6.52
$1.07 MX$20.23
66.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 AED 2.15
$1.09 MX$20.64
-45.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.22 AED 22.86
$3.96 MX$74.9
57.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.47 AED 49.45
$8.86 MX$167
52.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 AED 8.42
$1.72 MX$32.53
33.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 AED 7.94
$2.61 MX$49.37
-17.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Abu Dhabi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.7 AED 2.55
$0.52 MX$9.74
34.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26 AED 95.5
$26.59 MX$503
-2.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 AED 12.14
$3.24 MX$61.2
2.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 AED 2.07
$2.38 MX$44.94
-76.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.41 AED 30.9
$3.11 MX$58.7
170.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.76 AED 2.78
$1.31 MX$24.85
-41.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$45.1K AED 165.6K
$30.3K MX$573K
48.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K AED 82.1K
$24K MX$453.6K
-6.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Abu Dhabi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$141 AED 518
$84.2 MX$1,592
67.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.9 AED 191
$22.14 MX$419
134.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$102 AED 374
$30.14 MX$570
237.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Abu Dhabi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.4 AED 237
$52 MX$983
23.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.84 AED 128
$18.72 MX$354
86.11%
Cinema Ticket
$13.57 AED 49.84
$5.07 MX$95.9
167.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Abu Dhabi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$628 AED 2,308
$200 MX$3,787
213.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K AED 45.4K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
131.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Abu Dhabi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.4 AED 214
$35.74 MX$676
63.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.3 AED 207
$39.8 MX$753
41.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.4 AED 339
$79 MX$1,493
17.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.9 AED 334
$88.4 MX$1,671
2.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Abu Dhabi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,492 AED 5,477
$965 MX$18.3K
54.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,079 AED 3,964
$474 MX$8,968
127.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,994 AED 11K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
81.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,341 AED 8,597
$1,202 MX$22.7K
94.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,479 AED 20.1K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
77.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.2K AED 44.8K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
62.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Abu Dhabi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,127 AED 11.5K
$792 MX$15K
294.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.19
11.42
-54.55%

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

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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