Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bandar Abbas

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Abbas: $575 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Abbas
Learn more

Bandar Abbas Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bandar Abbas

🇮🇷 Iran

$575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bandar Abbas

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $575 in Bandar Abbas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bandar Abbas $575

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $888 in Bandar Abbas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bandar Abbas $888

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,200 in Bandar Abbas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bandar Abbas $1,200

Playa del Carmen costs about 109% more than Bandar Abbas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Bandar Abbas are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bandar Abbas 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$2.92 $2.92

265.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$16.17 $16.17

170.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$3.89 $3.89

203.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$1.12 $1.12

238.39%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$0.52 $0.52

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$1.02 $1.02

-18.63%

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

$0.66 $0.66

113.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$0.51 $0.51

331.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$2.03 $2.03

-27.59%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$1.23 $1.23

103.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.34 $4.34

67.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$3.32 $3.32

139.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$10.42 $10.42

23.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$1.08 $1.08

168.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.53 $1.53

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$0.86 $0.86

189.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$0.57 $0.57

256.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$0.55 $0.55

267.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$0.47 $0.47

304.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$0.56 $0.56

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$0.24 $0.24

416.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.82 $0.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 $1.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$2.51 $2.51

70.12%

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

$0.17 $0.17

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$9.44 $9.44

190.15%

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

$2.52 $2.52

113.89%

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

$50.9K $50.9K

-58.34%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$45.0K $45.0K

-48.29%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$13.27 $13.27

529.16%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$1.53 $1.53

1415.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$3.94 $3.94

600.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$18.33 $18.33

207.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$13.38 $13.38

110.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$2.03 $2.03

146.31%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$108 $108

92.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$2,422 $2,422

115.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$22.79 $22.79

90.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$28.68 $28.68

48.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$96.0 $96.0

-24.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$73.3 $73.3

20.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$343 $343

189.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$254 $254

50.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$811 $811

106.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$407 $407

165.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$1,150 $1,150

239.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$546 $546

1023.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$180 $180

363.28%

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 Bandar Abbas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bandar Abbas

$254 44.2% 33.5% $128

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bandar Abbas

$114 19.8% 55.6% $143

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bandar Abbas

$55 9.5% 72.7% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bandar Abbas

$19 3.3% 86% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bandar Abbas

$99 17.3% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bandar Abbas

$22 3.9% 66.3% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bandar Abbas

$12 2.1% 76.4% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $343 in Bandar Abbas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Bandar Abbas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $114 – making Bandar Abbas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇷 Bandar Abbas

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

17:44 5:44 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

526,648

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bandar Abbas 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bandar Abbas

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 Bandar Abbas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $863 in Bandar Abbas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandar Abbas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $575 in Bandar Abbas. That makes Bandar Abbas about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Bandar Abbas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bandar Abbas, where all-in costs run around $575, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Bandar Abbas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bandar Abbas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bandar Abbas. 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.