Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ibb and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibb: $876 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ibb
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Ibb Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Ibb

🇾🇪 Yemen

$876

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $876 in Ibb versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ibb $876
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,454 in Ibb versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ibb $1,454
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,033 in Ibb versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Ibb $2,033
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Ibb costs roughly 27% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ibb 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.44 YER 1,519

$10.92 MX$205

-41.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.83 YER 4,442

$43.37 MX$814

-56.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 YER 2,189

$11.78 MX$221

-21.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 YER 480

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 YER 585

Cappuccino

$3.78 YER 891

$3.81 MX$71.5

-0.79%

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

$1.12 YER 265

$1.28 MX$24.07

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 YER 108

$0.78 MX$14.70

-41.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 YER 463

$1.41 MX$26.40

39.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 YER 231

$2.22 MX$41.62

-55.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 YER 485

$1.42 MX$26.61

45.07%

Eggs

$3.69 YER 871

$2.52 MX$47.36

46.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.94 YER 3,287

$7.26 MX$136

92.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.14 YER 1,921

$7.70 MX$144

5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 YER 4,493

$12.69 MX$238

50.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 YER 778

$2.78 MX$52.3

18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 YER 236

$1.37 MX$25.68

-27.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 YER 508

$2.55 MX$47.89

-15.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 YER 405

$2.12 MX$39.86

-18.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 YER 362

$1.94 MX$36.39

-20.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 YER 322

$1.89 MX$35.41

-27.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 YER 207

$1.15 MX$21.53

-23.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 YER 148

$1.18 MX$22.13

-46.61%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.51 YER 591

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 439

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 YER 596

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 YER 927

$4.30 MX$80.6

-8.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 YER 503

$4.97 MX$93.3

-57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 YER 636

$3.33 MX$62.5

-19.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 YER 1,753

$5.36 MX$101

38.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 YER 487

$1.44 MX$27.11

43.06%

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

$16.8K YER 4.0M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

-18.63%

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

$34.8K YER 8.2M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

48.21%

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

$62.4 YER 14.7K

$84.8 MX$1,592

-26.44%

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

$15.86 YER 3,741

$23.41 MX$439

-32.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.91 YER 7,054

$28.66 MX$538

4.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$6.05 YER 1,426

$5.14 MX$96.5

17.70%

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

$24.36 YER 5,747

$207 MX$3,878

-88.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,204 YER 519.9K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-43.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.62 YER 6,986

$43.35 MX$814

-31.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$121 YER 28.4K

$41.44 MX$778

191.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.16 YER 11.4K

$74.2 MX$1,393

-35.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.48 YER 9,549

$89.3 MX$1,676

-54.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$319 YER 75.2K

$980 MX$18.4K

-67.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 YER 59.4K

$381 MX$7,150

-33.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 YER 176.4K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-56.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 YER 150.9K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-40.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$361 YER 85.1K

$735 MX$13.8K

-50.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

11.45

-1.75%

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

Last update for Ibb: 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

Ibb

$252 28.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 51.3% $129

Groceries & Markets

Ibb

$250 28.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.8% $4.6

Eating Out

Ibb

$131 15%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 54.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ibb

$108 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 26.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Ibb

$107 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.9% $4.2

Getting Around

Ibb

$16 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 223% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Ibb

$12 * 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 457% $55

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 $319 in Ibb and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Ibb vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $255 per month, with Ibb cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Ibb

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

17:41 5:41 PM

8 h behind Ibb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,844

149,923

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 263 YER (1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ibb Playa del Carmen 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ibb
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

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

Ibb is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Ibb. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $319 in Ibb versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibb – a meal for two runs $19 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $24 in Ibb versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $876 in Ibb versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ibb but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ibb 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 – Ibb wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.