Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-`awabi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-`awabi: $953 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Al-`awabi
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Al-`awabi Living Index
59

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

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Al-`awabi

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $953 per month in Al-`awabi vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al-`awabi $953
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,431 per month in Al-`awabi vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al-`awabi $1,431
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,909 per month in Al-`awabi vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al-`awabi $1,909
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Al-`awabi is about 21% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Al-`awabi and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Al-`awabi 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.06 OMR 1.95

$10.76 MX$199

-52.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.93 OMR 14.99

$43.03 MX$795

-9.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 OMR 2.93

$11.79 MX$218

-35.45%

Cappuccino

$5.06 OMR 1.95

$3.87 MX$71.4

30.75%

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

$0.89 OMR 0.34

$1.37 MX$25.29

-35.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.84 MX$15.44

-67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.94 OMR 4.98

$3.10 MX$57.3

317.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.19 OMR 5.08

$5.07 MX$93.6

160.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 OMR 0.87

$1.44 MX$26.55

57.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 OMR 0.47

$2.23 MX$41.23

-44.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 OMR 0.72

$1.47 MX$27.17

27.89%

Eggs

$2.96 OMR 1.14

$2.53 MX$46.71

17.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 OMR 2.81

$7.30 MX$135

-0.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.17 OMR 2.76

$7.86 MX$145

-8.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 OMR 4.08

$12.79 MX$236

-17.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 OMR 1.37

$2.90 MX$53.6

22.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 OMR 0.74

$1.44 MX$26.53

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 OMR 0.90

$2.55 MX$47.07

-8.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$2.06 MX$38.03

-37.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$2.00 MX$36.97

-39.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 OMR 0.48

$2.01 MX$37.07

-37.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.19 MX$22.02

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 OMR 0.25

$1.26 MX$23.23

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 OMR 2.47

$4.40 MX$81.4

45.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 OMR 6.05

$9.59 MX$177

63.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.06 OMR 2.33

$1.59 MX$29.41

281.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.33 OMR 3.98

$2.81 MX$51.9

267.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 OMR 1.27

$4.98 MX$92.1

-33.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.55 OMR 0.98

$3.50 MX$64.6

-27.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 OMR 2.97

$5.40 MX$99.8

42.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 OMR 0.25

$1.47 MX$27.08

-55.78%

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

$25.4K OMR 9,791

$21.0K MX$387.8K

21.19%

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

$23.0K OMR 8,858

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-3.76%

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

$177 OMR 68.2

$84.2 MX$1,556

110.34%

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

$31.35 OMR 12.07

$23.99 MX$443

30.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 OMR 27.33

$29.02 MX$536

144.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 OMR 3.98

$4.94 MX$91.3

109.31%

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

$286 OMR 110

$204 MX$3,763

40.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,032

$3,941 MX$72.8K

165.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 OMR 21.42

$43.60 MX$806

27.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.72 OMR 16.83

$43.12 MX$797

1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 OMR 34.83

$75.8 MX$1,400

19.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 OMR 33.41

$88.6 MX$1,637

-2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

11.45

-54.15%

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

Last update for Al-`awabi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Al-`awabi

$293 30.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 11.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-`awabi

$279 29.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 50.9% $142

Eating Out

Al-`awabi

$220 23.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 7.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Al-`awabi

$124 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 9.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Al-`awabi

$21 * 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 252% $52

Getting Around

Al-`awabi

$16 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 228% $37

Accommodation & Living

Al-`awabi

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Al-`awabi versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Al-`awabi vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Al-`awabi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

9 h behind Al-`awabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,711

149,923

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-`awabi Playa del Carmen 13,800 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-`awabi
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

Al-`awabi vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Al-`awabi and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $953 in Al-`awabi and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $286 per month in Al-`awabi and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-`awabi, where all-in costs run around $953, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Al-`awabi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-`awabi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Al-`awabi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.