Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Abadan, Iran

Name: Abadan
Address: Abadan, IR

For one person, living is cheaper in Abadan: $534 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Abadan
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Abadan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Abadan

🇮🇷 Iran

$534

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Abadan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Abadan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $534 in Abadan.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Abadan $534

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $851 in Abadan.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Abadan $851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,167 in Abadan.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Abadan $1,167

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 125% more expensive than in Abadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Abadan 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$2.96 $2.96

260.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$16.06 $16.06

172.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$3.94 $3.94

199.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$1.10 $1.10

244.55%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$0.49 $0.49

165.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$0.98 $0.98

-15.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.04 $1.04

35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$0.48 $0.48

358.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$2.07 $2.07

-28.99%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$1.18 $1.18

111.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.50 $4.50

62.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$3.41 $3.41

133.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$10.39 $10.39

23.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$1.03 $1.03

181.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.61 $1.61

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$0.86 $0.86

189.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$0.56 $0.56

262.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$0.54 $0.54

274.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$0.47 $0.47

304.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$0.57 $0.57

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$0.24 $0.24

416.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$2.53 $2.53

68.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$0.14 $0.14

264.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$9.46 $9.46

189.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$0.38 $0.38

1152.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$0.29 $0.29

1020.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$2.64 $2.64

104.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$0.09 $0.09

1600.00%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$50.0K $50.0K

-57.56%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$45.1K $45.1K

-48.46%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$13.23 $13.23

531.07%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$1.58 $1.58

1367.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$4.02 $4.02

586.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$18.95 $18.95

197.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$13.28 $13.28

112.27%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$1.95 $1.95

156.41%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$108 $108

91.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$2,416 $2,416

116.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$22.77 $22.77

90.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$28.89 $28.89

47.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$96.2 $96.2

-24.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$73.1 $73.1

20.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$290 $290

242.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$208 $208

83.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$799 $799

109.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$363 $363

197.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$712 $712

448.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$1,037 $1,037

492.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$447 $447

86.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

24.3

-52.88%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Abadan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Abadan

$208 38.9% 45.6% $174

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Abadan

$119 22.2% 53.9% $139

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Abadan

$55 10.2% 72.8% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Abadan

$19 3.5% 86% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Abadan

$99 18.6% 10.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Abadan

$23 4.3% 65.6% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Abadan

$12 2.2% 76.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $290 in Abadan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 86% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $16 in Abadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $119 per month, with Abadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇷 Abadan

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

21:21 9:21 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

231,476

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Abadan 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
Abadan

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

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

Abadan is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $290 in Abadan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abadan – a meal for two runs $16 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $534 in Abadan – Abadan is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $534 in Abadan versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Abadan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Abadan 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.

Expats usually find Abadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.