Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Adam

For one person, living is cheaper in Adam: $953 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Adam, Oman
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Adam
🇴🇲 Oman
$953
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Adam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $953 in Adam.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Adam $953

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,429 in Adam.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Adam $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,905 in Adam.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Adam $1,905

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 26% more expensive than in Adam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Adam 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Adam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$5.10 OMR 1.96
109.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$38.90 OMR 14.97
12.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$7.88 OMR 3.03
49.62%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$5.01 OMR 1.93
-24.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$0.92 OMR 0.35
41.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.27 OMR 0.10
207.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$13.04 OMR 5.02
-75.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$12.92 OMR 4.97
-61.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Adam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$2.28 OMR 0.88
-38.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.19 OMR 0.46
84.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$1.91 OMR 0.74
-23.04%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$3.01 OMR 1.16
-16.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$7.20 OMR 2.77
1.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$6.86 OMR 2.64
15.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$10.31 OMR 3.97
24.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$3.61 OMR 1.39
-19.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.00 OMR 0.77
-31.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$2.33 OMR 0.90
6.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$1.27 OMR 0.49
59.84%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$1.16 OMR 0.45
74.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$1.29 OMR 0.50
47.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.82 OMR 0.70
-37.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$0.64 OMR 0.25
93.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$6.53 OMR 2.51
-34.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$15.61 OMR 6.01
-37.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$5.89 OMR 2.27
-73.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$10.29 OMR 3.96
-73.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Adam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$3.31 OMR 1.28
43.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$2.63 OMR 1.01
23.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$8.00 OMR 3.08
-32.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$0.63 OMR 0.24
142.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$25.3K OMR 9,735
-16.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$21.4K OMR 8,218
8.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Adam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$180 OMR 69.3
-53.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$31.08 OMR 11.96
-25.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$70.9 OMR 27.28
-61.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Adam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$10.60 OMR 4.08
-52.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Adam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$496 OMR 191
-58.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$10.7K OMR 4,134
-51.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Adam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$56.2 OMR 21.65
-22.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$43.99 OMR 16.93
-3.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$87.8 OMR 33.80
-17.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$86.5 OMR 33.30
2.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Adam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$260 OMR 100
542.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Adam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$2,586 OMR 995
-67.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5.25
118.10%

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 Adam: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Adam
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Adam
$289 12.4% $32
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Adam
$220 10.1% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Adam
$282 110% $148
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Adam
$124 11.1% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Adam
$21 * 68.1% $45
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Adam
$16 * 67.3% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

Adam pays about 3.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $39 in Adam. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $289, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇴🇲 Adam
🕒 Local time
15:56 3:56 PM
00:56 12:56 AM
9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
18,515
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Adam 13,880 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Adam

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 Adam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Adam cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Adam is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Playa del Carmen or Adam?
On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $496 in Adam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Adam?
Dining out is cheaper in Adam – a meal for two runs $39 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Adam?
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.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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