Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ma'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Ma’an: $835 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ma'an, Jordan
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Ma'an
🇯🇴 Jordan
$835
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ma'an

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $835 in Ma’an, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Ma'an $835

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,381 in Ma’an, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Ma'an $1,381

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,927 in Ma’an, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Ma'an $1,927

Playa del Carmen costs about 44% more than Ma’an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ma’an are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ma’an 39% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ma'an
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$203
$7.03 JOD 4.98
55.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$70.8 JOD 50.1
-38.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$219
$7.15 JOD 5.06
64.76%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$4.56 JOD 3.23
-16.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.89
$0.64 JOD 0.45
100.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.58
$0.58 JOD 0.41
34.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$8.25 JOD 5.84
-61.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.9
$10.99 JOD 7.78
-55.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ma'an
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.20
$1.68 JOD 1.19
-16.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.30
$0.66 JOD 0.47
236.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.40
$1.60 JOD 1.14
-11.25%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.00
$2.28 JOD 1.62
10.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$8.93 JOD 6.33
-18.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$6.31 JOD 4.47
22.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$236
$12.63 JOD 8.94
0.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$2.58 JOD 1.82
7.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.49
$1.97 JOD 1.40
-30.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.52
$1.79 JOD 1.27
42.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.55
$0.77 JOD 0.55
175.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.11
$0.94 JOD 0.67
106.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.13
$0.84 JOD 0.60
125.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.36
$0.64 JOD 0.45
79.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.96
$0.66 JOD 0.47
78.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.0
$3.91 JOD 2.77
9.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$21.27 JOD 15.06
-53.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.50
$4.83 JOD 3.42
-67.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.76
$5.03 JOD 3.56
-46.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ma'an
Difference
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
$0.63 JOD 0.45
688.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$1.39 JOD 0.98
139.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$7.22 JOD 5.11
-25.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.90
$1.77 JOD 1.25
-18.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.0K
$32.6K JOD 23.1K
-36.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.2K
$33.9K JOD 24.0K
-30.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ma'an
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,580
$135 JOD 95.6
-37.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$15.65 JOD 11.08
49.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$32.19 JOD 22.79
-10.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ma'an
Difference
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
$11.36 JOD 8.04
-54.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ma'an
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,848
$544 JOD 385
-62.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$9,259 JOD 6,556
-57.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ma'an
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$63.6 JOD 45.03
-31.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$80.6 JOD 57.1
-48.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,382
$126 JOD 89.0
-40.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,663
$83.6 JOD 59.2
6.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ma'an
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.2K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,095
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ma'an
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
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 Ma'an: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Ma'an
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Ma'an
$263 3.1% $7.9
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Ma'an
$201 0.9% $1.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Ma'an
$183 33.6% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Ma'an
$159 42.4% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Ma'an
$23 * 66.3% $45
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Ma'an
$7.6 * 85% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $71 in Ma’an. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $263 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇯🇴 Ma'an
🕒 Local time
01:28 1:28 AM
09:28 9:28 AM
8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
50,350
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.788 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Ma'an 11,690 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Ma'an

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 Ma'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Ma’an compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $835 in Ma’an – Ma’an comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Ma’an?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,253 in Ma’an. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $71 in Ma’an. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ma’an, where all-in costs run around $835, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ma’an it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Ma’an?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $835 in Ma’an to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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