Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dibba Al-Fujairah and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,957 in Dibba Al-Fujairah, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Dibba Al-Fujairah
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Dibba Al-Fujairah Living Index
58

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

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Dibba Al-Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,957

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,957 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Dibba Al-Fujairah $1,957
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,564 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Dibba Al-Fujairah $3,564
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,170 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Dibba Al-Fujairah $5,170
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Dibba Al-Fujairah is roughly 63% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dibba Al-Fujairah is 44% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.63 AED 24.36

$10.92 MX$205

-39.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 AED 302

$43.37 MX$813

89.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.22 AED 30.19

$11.78 MX$221

-30.22%

Cappuccino

$6.02 AED 22.09

$3.81 MX$71.4

58.01%

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

$0.84 AED 3.08

$1.28 MX$24.04

-34.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 AED 0.94

$0.78 MX$14.68

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.48 AED 49.49

$3.17 MX$59.4

325.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.48 AED 49.49

$4.93 MX$92.5

173.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 AED 4.90

$1.41 MX$26.37

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 AED 4.09

$2.22 MX$41.57

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 AED 8.75

$1.42 MX$26.57

67.61%

Eggs

$2.13 AED 7.80

$2.52 MX$47.30

-15.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.19 AED 44.78

$7.26 MX$136

67.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 AED 25.36

$7.70 MX$144

-10.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.00 AED 25.70

$12.69 MX$238

-44.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 AED 5.89

$2.78 MX$52.2

-42.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 AED 4.88

$1.37 MX$25.65

-2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.01

$2.55 MX$47.83

-25.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.86

$2.12 MX$39.81

-37.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 AED 2.92

$1.94 MX$36.34

-58.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 AED 3.11

$1.89 MX$35.36

-55.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 AED 4.93

$1.15 MX$21.50

16.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 AED 2.05

$1.18 MX$22.11

-52.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 AED 22.34

$4.30 MX$80.5

41.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 AED 59.8

$9.95 MX$187

63.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 AED 9.52

$1.58 MX$29.69

63.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 AED 9.95

$2.67 MX$50.1

1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 AED 7.96

$0.55 MX$10.37

294.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.61 AED 127

$26.62 MX$499

30.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 AED 4.08

$4.97 MX$93.2

-77.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 AED 2.67

$3.33 MX$62.5

-78.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.25

$5.36 MX$100

48.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.71 AED 2.59

$1.44 MX$27.07

-50.69%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$20.7K MX$387.5K

26.50%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$23.5K MX$440.0K

-6.07%

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

$244 AED 894

$84.8 MX$1,590

187.24%

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

$53.8 AED 198

$23.41 MX$439

129.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 AED 299

$28.66 MX$537

183.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 AED 208

$57.1 MX$1,070

-0.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.01 AED 103

$28.91 MX$542

-3.11%

Cinema Ticket

$16.39 AED 60.2

$5.14 MX$96.4

218.87%

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

$868 AED 3,189

$207 MX$3,873

320.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,795 AED 21.3K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

47.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.7 AED 248

$43.35 MX$813

56.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 AED 213

$41.44 MX$777

39.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 AED 384

$74.2 MX$1,391

40.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$89.3 MX$1,673

13.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 AED 3,027

$980 MX$18.4K

-15.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 AED 2,981

$381 MX$7,140

113.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,842 AED 6,764

$1,708 MX$32.0K

7.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,705 AED 9,933

$1,075 MX$20.2K

151.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,852 AED 17.8K

$3,943 MX$73.9K

23.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,337 AED 8,581

$6,158 MX$115.5K

-62.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

11.45

-60.35%

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

Last update for Dibba Al-Fujairah: 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

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$812 41.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 53.1% $431

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$379 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63.9% $242

Eating Out

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$249 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 18.6% $46

Groceries & Markets

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$232 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 9.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$149 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$89 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 24.6% $22

Getting Around

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$48 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 5.1% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $824 in Dibba Al-Fujairah and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82 in Dibba Al-Fujairah vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $232 vs $255, with Dibba Al-Fujairah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dibba Al-Fujairah

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

08:10 8:10 AM

9 h behind Dibba Al-Fujairah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

149,923

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dibba Al-Fujairah Playa del Carmen 13,530 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Dibba Al-Fujairah
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

Dibba Al-Fujairah vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,957 in Dibba Al-Fujairah and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,936 in Dibba Al-Fujairah and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $824 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 23% less than in Dibba Al-Fujairah. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $868 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,957 in Dibba Al-Fujairah, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Dibba Al-Fujairah. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.