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

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 48.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 129.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 79.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 95.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.78 AED 39.55

$11.61 MX$201

-7.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 AED 294

$42.75 MX$742

87.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 AED 35.21

$10.60 MX$184

-9.53%

Cappuccino

$5.45 AED 19.98

$3.59 MX$62.3

51.81%

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

$1.19 AED 4.37

$1.45 MX$25.21

-17.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 AED 3.22

$0.90 MX$15.58

-2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.21 AED 44.80

$3.03 MX$52.6

302.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.63 AED 50.0

$4.56 MX$79.2

198.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 AED 7.12

$1.45 MX$25.20

33.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.83 MX$31.72

-25.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 AED 8.14

$1.61 MX$27.92

37.89%

Eggs

$3.30 AED 12.13

$2.54 MX$44.05

29.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 AED 37.05

$8.54 MX$148

18.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 AED 33.75

$8.47 MX$147

8.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.90

$10.86 MX$189

17.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 AED 8.59

$2.73 MX$47.37

-14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 AED 7.11

$1.49 MX$25.91

30.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.94 MX$33.73

-1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$2.16 MX$37.57

-29.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$1.85 MX$32.05

-35.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 AED 4.67

$2.19 MX$38.00

-42.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 AED 5.32

$1.07 MX$18.62

35.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.52

$1.08 MX$18.81

-36.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 AED 23.88

$4.06 MX$70.5

60.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.19 AED 70.4

$10.46 MX$182

83.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 AED 10.05

$1.65 MX$28.71

66.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 AED 12.64

$2.55 MX$44.23

34.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 AED 5.94

$0.56 MX$9.65

189.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.6 AED 296

$26.20 MX$455

207.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 AED 11.85

$3.14 MX$54.5

2.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 AED 2.90

$2.37 MX$41.17

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.99 AED 29.31

$3.24 MX$56.2

146.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 AED 2.89

$1.31 MX$22.81

-39.69%

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

$33.1K AED 121.3K

$30.5K MX$530.2K

8.25%

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

$22.6K AED 83.0K

$23.8K MX$413.6K

-5.05%

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

$215 AED 788

$83.1 MX$1,443

158.20%

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

$63.5 AED 233

$22.15 MX$385

186.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 AED 369

$29.37 MX$510

242.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.9 AED 315

$51.2 MX$889

67.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.94 AED 169

$18.69 MX$324

145.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 AED 55.1

$4.89 MX$84.9

207.16%

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

$827 AED 3,034

$199 MX$3,449

316.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K AED 52.2K

$5,207 MX$90.4K

173.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 AED 305

$35.93 MX$624

131.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.9 AED 235

$39.39 MX$684

62.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 AED 419

$80.3 MX$1,394

42.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 AED 453

$87.6 MX$1,520

40.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,433 AED 8,928

$963 MX$16.7K

152.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 AED 5,708

$482 MX$8,370

222.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,541 AED 16.7K

$1,645 MX$28.6K

176.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,004 AED 11.0K

$1,192 MX$20.7K

152.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,123 AED 26.1K

$3,957 MX$68.7K

80.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,087 AED 15.0K

$6,513 MX$113.1K

-37.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,901 AED 14.3K

$726 MX$12.6K

437.06%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

Dubai vs other spots: cost of living compared

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Similar cities

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

Dallas, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Portland, OR

🇺🇸 United States

Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands