Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dukhan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,658 in Dukhan, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dukhan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Dukhan
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Dukhan Living Index
58

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

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Dukhan

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,658

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,658 in Dukhan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Dukhan $1,658
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,307 in Dukhan versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Dukhan $2,307
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,956 in Dukhan versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Dukhan $2,956
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Dukhan is roughly 38% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dukhan is 22% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.82 QAR 35.76

$10.92 MX$203

-10.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 QAR 253

$43.37 MX$808

60.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 QAR 28.92

$11.78 MX$219

-32.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.45 QAR 45.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.70 QAR 49.88

Cappuccino

$5.74 QAR 20.91

$3.81 MX$71.0

50.66%

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

$0.95 QAR 3.44

$1.28 MX$23.89

-25.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 QAR 1.48

$0.78 MX$14.58

-47.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 QAR 7.46

$1.41 MX$26.20

45.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 QAR 4.99

$2.22 MX$41.30

-38.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 QAR 7.02

$1.42 MX$26.40

35.92%

Eggs

$3.50 QAR 12.73

$2.52 MX$47.00

38.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 QAR 41.52

$7.26 MX$135

57.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.64 QAR 27.80

$7.70 MX$143

-0.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 QAR 40.87

$12.69 MX$236

-11.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 QAR 8.24

$2.78 MX$51.9

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 QAR 6.59

$1.37 MX$25.49

32.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 QAR 5.75

$2.55 MX$47.52

-38.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 QAR 4.42

$2.12 MX$39.55

-42.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 QAR 3.59

$1.94 MX$36.11

-48.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 QAR 3.65

$1.89 MX$35.13

-47.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 QAR 5.08

$1.15 MX$21.36

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 QAR 1.87

$1.18 MX$21.96

-56.78%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.35 QAR 34.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 QAR 6.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 QAR 8.20

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 QAR 23.32

$4.30 MX$80.0

49.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 QAR 7.17

$4.97 MX$92.6

-60.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 QAR 7.58

$3.33 MX$62.1

-37.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.59 QAR 49.45

$5.36 MX$99.8

153.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 QAR 2.02

$1.44 MX$26.90

-61.81%

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

$24.2K QAR 88.1K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

17.16%

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

$21.7K QAR 79.1K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

-7.42%

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

$85.5 QAR 311

$84.8 MX$1,580

0.79%

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

$33.84 QAR 123

$23.41 MX$436

44.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.0 QAR 313

$28.66 MX$534

200.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 QAR 45.64

$5.14 MX$95.7

143.97%

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

$676 QAR 2,461

$207 MX$3,848

227.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,535 QAR 34.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

142.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 QAR 224

$43.35 MX$808

41.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 QAR 199

$41.44 MX$772

32.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 QAR 358

$74.2 MX$1,382

32.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.4 QAR 307

$89.3 MX$1,663

-5.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 QAR 4,961

$980 MX$18.2K

39.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 QAR 3,241

$381 MX$7,095

133.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 QAR 6,109

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-1.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 QAR 4,044

$1,075 MX$20.0K

3.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,157 QAR 15.1K

$735 MX$13.7K

465.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

11.45

-48.30%

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

Last update for Dukhan: October 26, 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

Dukhan

$890 53.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 57.2% $510

Groceries & Markets

Dukhan

$213 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 19.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dukhan

$205 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 33.3% $68

Eating Out

Dukhan

$177 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 14.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Dukhan

$135 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Dukhan

$25 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 168% $42

Getting Around

Dukhan

$12 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 308% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,363 in Dukhan and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dukhan pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Dukhan vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $255, with Dukhan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Dukhan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

05:22 5:22 AM

8 h behind Dukhan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.06 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dukhan Playa del Carmen 13,170 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Dukhan
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

Dukhan vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,658 in Dukhan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Dukhan is about 5.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,363 in Dukhan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dukhan pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,658 per month in Dukhan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,658 in Dukhan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Dukhan. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Dukhan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.