Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dukhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,658 in Dukhan, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dukhan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Dukhan
Learn more

Dukhan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Dukhan

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,658 in Dukhan.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Dukhan $1,658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,307 in Dukhan.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Dukhan $2,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,956 in Dukhan.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Dukhan $2,956

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 27% less than in Dukhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Dukhan is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$9.82 QAR 35.76

11.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$69.5 QAR 253

-37.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.95 QAR 28.92

48.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.45 QAR 45.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.70 QAR 49.88

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.74 QAR 20.91

-33.62%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.95 QAR 3.44

34.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.41 QAR 1.48

90.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.05 QAR 7.46

-31.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.37 QAR 4.99

62.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.93 QAR 7.02

-26.42%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.50 QAR 12.73

-28.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.41 QAR 41.52

-36.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.64 QAR 27.80

0.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.23 QAR 40.87

13.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.26 QAR 8.24

23.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.81 QAR 6.59

-24.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.58 QAR 5.75

61.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.21 QAR 4.42

75.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.99 QAR 3.59

95.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.00 QAR 3.65

89.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.40 QAR 5.08

-17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.51 QAR 1.87

131.37%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.35 QAR 34.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 QAR 6.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 QAR 8.20

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$6.41 QAR 23.32

-32.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.97 QAR 7.17

152.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$2.08 QAR 7.58

60.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$13.59 QAR 49.45

-60.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.55 QAR 2.02

161.82%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$24.2K QAR 88.1K

-14.65%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$21.7K QAR 79.1K

8.02%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$85.5 QAR 311

-0.78%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$33.84 QAR 123

-30.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$86.0 QAR 313

-66.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$12.54 QAR 45.64

-59.01%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$676 QAR 2,461

-69.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$9,535 QAR 34.7K

-58.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$61.4 QAR 224

-29.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$54.7 QAR 199

-24.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$98.4 QAR 358

-24.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$84.4 QAR 307

5.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,363 QAR 4,961

-28.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$890 QAR 3,241

-57.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,678 QAR 6,109

1.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,111 QAR 4,044

-3.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$4,157 QAR 15.1K

-82.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.92

93.41%

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 Dukhan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Dukhan

$890 53.7% 134% $510

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Dukhan

$213 12.9% 16.3% $41

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Dukhan

$177 10.7% 12.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Dukhan

$205 12.4% 50% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Dukhan

$135 8.1% 20.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Dukhan

$25 * 1.5% 62.7% $42

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Dukhan

$12 * 0.8% 75.5% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,363 in Dukhan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dukhan pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $69 in Dukhan. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $213, with Dukhan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇶🇦 Dukhan

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

14:06 2:06 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

12,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.06 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dukhan 13,170 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dukhan

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 Dukhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,658 in Dukhan, so Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 82% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,363 in Dukhan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dukhan pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,658 in Dukhan – Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,658 in Dukhan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Dukhan. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Dukhan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.