Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Abu Dhabi Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Abu Dhabi

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 13.8% cheaper than Abu Dhabi without rent, and 42.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 33.9% cheaper than Abu Dhabi without rent, and 35% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$10.91 AED 40.05
9.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$67.5 AED 248
-37.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$9.26 AED 33.99
13.07%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$5.86 AED 21.53
-38.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.27 AED 4.65
13.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.44 AED 1.61
102.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$10.7 AED 39.28
-71.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$10.85 AED 39.84
-57.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.94 AED 7.14
-28.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.55 AED 5.71
19.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$2.46 AED 9.04
-36.18%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$3.63 AED 13.33
-29.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$10.86 AED 39.89
-20.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$8.52 AED 31.29
0.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$11.11 AED 40.79
-1.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.39 AED 8.76
13.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.74 AED 6.4
-13.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.88 AED 6.91
-
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.51 AED 5.53
45.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.17 AED 4.31
59.83%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.37 AED 5.03
59.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.78 AED 6.52
-39.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.59 AED 2.15
84.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$6.22 AED 22.86
-36.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$13.47 AED 49.45
-34.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.29 AED 8.42
-24.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.16 AED 7.94
20.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Abu Dhabi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.7 AED 2.55
-25.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$26 AED 95.5
2.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$3.31 AED 12.14
-2.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.56 AED 2.07
325.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$8.41 AED 30.9
-63.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.76 AED 2.78
72.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$45.1K AED 165.6K
-32.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$22.4K AED 82.1K
7.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$141 AED 518
-40.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$51.9 AED 191
-57.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$102 AED 374
-70.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$64.4 AED 237
-19.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$34.84 AED 128
-46.27%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$13.57 AED 49.84
-62.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$628 AED 2,308
-68.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$12.4K AED 45.4K
-56.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$58.4 AED 214
-38.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$56.3 AED 207
-29.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$92.4 AED 339
-14.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$90.9 AED 334
-2.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Abu Dhabi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$1,492 AED 5,477
-35.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$1,079 AED 3,964
-56.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$2,994 AED 11K
-44.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$2,341 AED 8,597
-48.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$5,479 AED 20.1K
-43.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$12.2K AED 44.8K
-38.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$3,127 AED 11.5K
-74.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.19
120.04%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 29, 2025

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