Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Aqaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $916 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Aqaba
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Aqaba Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Aqaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $916 in Aqaba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Aqaba $916

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,507 in Aqaba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Aqaba $1,507

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,098 in Aqaba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Aqaba $2,098

Playa del Carmen costs about 31% more than Aqaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Aqaba are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Aqaba 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.75 JOD 1.95

297.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$71.2 JOD 50.4

-39.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.17 JOD 2.95

182.49%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.46 JOD 3.16

-14.57%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.59 JOD 0.42

116.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.58 JOD 0.41

34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$8.58 JOD 6.07

-63.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$11.05 JOD 7.82

-55.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.45 JOD 1.02

-2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.47 JOD 0.33

372.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.54 JOD 1.09

-7.79%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.73 JOD 1.22

45.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$5.69 JOD 4.03

27.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.20 JOD 2.97

83.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$9.65 JOD 6.83

31.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.39 JOD 0.99

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.44 JOD 1.02

-4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.08 JOD 0.77

136.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.74 JOD 0.53

186.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.74 JOD 0.52

162.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.73 JOD 0.51

158.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.59 JOD 0.42

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.57 JOD 0.41

107.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.92 JOD 2.78

9.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$17.26 JOD 12.22

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.81 JOD 1.99

-43.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.52 JOD 1.79

5.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$0.50 JOD 0.36

894.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.37 JOD 0.97

143.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$6.91 JOD 4.89

-22.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.44 JOD 1.02

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$31.5K JOD 22.3K

-34.31%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$31.2K JOD 22.1K

-24.91%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$135 JOD 95.4

-37.07%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$15.70 JOD 11.12

49.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$32.92 JOD 23.31

-12.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$64.3 JOD 45.53

-11.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$11.12 JOD 7.87

-53.78%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$538 JOD 381

-61.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$2,836 JOD 2,008

38.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$28.03 JOD 19.84

54.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$42.43 JOD 30.04

-2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$42.20 JOD 29.88

75.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$70.0 JOD 49.53

27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$286 JOD 202

242.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$209 JOD 148

81.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$681 JOD 482

150.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$463 JOD 328

132.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,119 JOD 792

252.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$565 JOD 400

990.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$564 JOD 399

30.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.94

64.99%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aqaba: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Aqaba

$209 22.9% 45% $171

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Aqaba

$189 20.7% 25.7% $65

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Aqaba

$158 17.2% 22.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Aqaba

$183 20% 34% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Aqaba

$82 9% 26.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Aqaba

$87 9.5% 28.5% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Aqaba

$7.4 * 0.8% 85.4% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $286 in Aqaba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $71 in Aqaba. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $189 in Aqaba – so Aqaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇴 Aqaba

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

10:05 10:05 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

140,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.791 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Aqaba 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Aqaba

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 Aqaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,374 in Aqaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aqaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $286 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $916 in Aqaba. That makes Aqaba about 24% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $538 in Aqaba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aqaba costs $916 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Aqaba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.