Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 34.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 130.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 78.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 86.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.08 AED 40.67

$11.88 MX$210

-6.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 300

$41.90 MX$740

95.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 AED 35.71

$10.55 MX$186

-7.77%

Cappuccino

$5.56 AED 20.42

$3.60 MX$63.5

54.44%

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

$1.19 AED 4.38

$1.50 MX$26.45

-20.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.44

$0.91 MX$16.09

3.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.48 AED 45.79

$3.08 MX$54.4

305.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.70 AED 50.3

$4.47 MX$78.8

206.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 AED 7.06

$1.39 MX$24.54

38.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 AED 5.08

$1.90 MX$33.47

-27.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.28

$1.60 MX$28.27

41.25%

Eggs

$3.46 AED 12.68

$2.60 MX$45.97

33.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 AED 37.54

$8.36 MX$148

22.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 AED 34.85

$8.64 MX$152

9.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.76 AED 46.84

$10.91 MX$192

16.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 AED 8.66

$2.61 MX$45.98

-9.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$1.44 MX$25.46

31.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.08

$1.96 MX$34.55

-1.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.66

$2.12 MX$37.34

-27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$1.86 MX$32.87

-37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.85

$2.22 MX$39.20

-40.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 AED 5.10

$1.02 MX$17.99

36.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 AED 2.55

$1.04 MX$18.36

-32.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 AED 23.91

$4.05 MX$71.5

60.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.37 AED 71.1

$10.18 MX$180

90.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.65

$1.69 MX$29.79

55.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 AED 12.50

$2.62 MX$46.25

30.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 AED 6.11

$0.51 MX$9.09

225.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.3 AED 295

$26.52 MX$468

202.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 AED 12.25

$3.15 MX$55.7

6.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 AED 2.88

$2.46 MX$43.49

-67.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.97 AED 29.26

$3.26 MX$57.5

144.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 AED 2.75

$1.32 MX$23.36

-43.18%

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

$33.0K AED 121.2K

$30.1K MX$531.0K

9.74%

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

$23.2K AED 85.1K

$23.8K MX$419.3K

-2.35%

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

$213 AED 782

$83.5 MX$1,474

155.05%

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

$62.6 AED 230

$22.86 MX$404

173.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 AED 379

$30.04 MX$530

243.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.5 AED 321

$51.9 MX$916

68.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.67 AED 171

$18.30 MX$323

155.03%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 AED 55.1

$5.12 MX$90.4

193.36%

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

$822 AED 3,015

$201 MX$3,541

309.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K AED 51.8K

$5,318 MX$93.9K

165.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 AED 306

$35.73 MX$631

133.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 AED 232

$40.27 MX$711

56.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 AED 418

$79.2 MX$1,398

43.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 AED 442

$89.3 MX$1,576

34.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,005

$947 MX$16.7K

159.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 AED 5,840

$483 MX$8,525

229.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,672 AED 17.1K

$1,599 MX$28.2K

192.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,003 AED 11.0K

$1,211 MX$21.4K

147.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,211 AED 26.5K

$3,996 MX$70.5K

80.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,040 AED 14.8K

$6,402 MX$113.0K

-36.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,088 AED 15.0K

$730 MX$12.9K

460.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.49

11.42

-60.68%

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

Last update for Dubai: January 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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