Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dahab

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $453 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
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Dahab Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $453 in Dahab, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Dahab $453

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $755 in Dahab, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Dahab $755

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,057 in Dahab, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Dahab $1,057

Playa del Carmen costs about 167% more than Dahab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Dahab are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Dahab 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.70 E£198

190.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$13.14 E£702

227.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$4.64 E£248

154.09%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.58 E£84.3

144.94%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.46 E£24.50

197.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.27 E£14.50

211.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.95 E£104

58.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.34 E£125

116.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$0.97 E£52.0

48.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.12 E£60.0

99.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.73 E£38.75

101.37%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.35 E£72.0

87.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$10.63 E£568

-31.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.88 E£207

102.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.65 E£569

20.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.33 E£124

24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.45 E£77.4

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$0.63 E£33.55

304.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$0.59 E£31.39

249.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.55 E£29.14

263.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.59 E£31.72

240.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.88 E£47.16

35.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.20 E£10.58

530.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$1.50 E£80.0

193.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$6.79 E£363

41.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.58 E£84.5

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.21 E£11.08

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$7.56 E£404

267.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.77 E£41.30

546.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.43 E£23.13

241.86%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$17.85 E£953

371.76%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$6.84 E£365

250.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$17.89 E£955

62.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$15.01 E£801

319.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$9.54 E£509

205.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$4.80 E£257

2.92%

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

$204 MX$3,763

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$187 E£9,988

439.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$129 E£6,868

190.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$529 E£28.2K

223.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$316 E£16.9K

250.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$131 E£6,973

477.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dahab: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Dahab

$129 28.4% 65.6% $245

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Dahab

$169 * 37.2% 34.8% $90

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Dahab

$80 17.6% 60.5% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Dahab

$43 9.4% 69% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Dahab

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Dahab

$25 5.4% 66.2% $48

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Dahab

$9.2 * 2% 82.6% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $187 in Dahab. 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 478% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $13.00 in Dahab. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $169 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Dahab

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

14:49 2:49 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

12,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dahab 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dahab

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 Dahab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 167%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $680 in Dahab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dahab, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $453 in Dahab. That's a gap of about 167%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $13.00 in Dahab. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dahab, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Dahab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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