Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,556 in Muscat, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,556 in Muscat.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Muscat $1,556

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,299 in Muscat.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Muscat $2,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,042 in Muscat.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Muscat $3,042

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 22% less than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Muscat is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$5.33 OMR 2.05

101.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$39.12 OMR 15.06

9.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$7.76 OMR 2.99

51.93%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$4.93 OMR 1.90

-21.50%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.85 OMR 0.33

61.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.27 OMR 0.10

211.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$12.87 OMR 4.95

-75.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$13.07 OMR 5.03

-61.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.31 OMR 0.89

-37.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.24 OMR 0.48

79.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-21.39%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.02 OMR 1.16

-16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$7.23 OMR 2.78

0.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.91 OMR 2.66

13.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.57 OMR 4.07

21.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.51 OMR 1.35

-17.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.01 OMR 0.77

-28.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.33 OMR 0.90

9.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.26 OMR 0.49

63.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.16 OMR 0.44

72.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.28 OMR 0.49

57.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-33.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.68 OMR 0.26

85.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$6.62 OMR 2.55

-33.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$15.83 OMR 6.09

-39.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$6.03 OMR 2.32

-73.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$10.33 OMR 3.98

-72.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.33 OMR 0.51

-57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$77.9 OMR 30.00

-64.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.18 OMR 1.23

56.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$2.62 OMR 1.01

33.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$7.83 OMR 3.01

-31.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.60 OMR 0.23

145.00%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$25.9K OMR 9,986

-19.09%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$22.4K OMR 8,624

6.73%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$176 OMR 67.9

-52.23%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$28.30 OMR 10.90

-15.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$70.9 OMR 27.28

-59.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$62.7 OMR 24.14

0.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$29.94 OMR 11.53

-2.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$10.52 OMR 4.05

-53.04%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$283 OMR 109

-28.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$10.6K OMR 4,070

-62.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$56.6 OMR 21.79

-22.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$43.33 OMR 16.68

-0.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$91.1 OMR 35.08

-16.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$86.4 OMR 33.28

2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$674 OMR 260

49.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$461 OMR 177

-18.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,324 OMR 510

29.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$813 OMR 313

36.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,871 OMR 1,105

37.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,614 OMR 621

282.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,650 OMR 635

-54.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.25

118.10%

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 Muscat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Muscat

$461 29.6% 23.1% $87

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Muscat

$292 18.8% 13% $34

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Muscat

$220 14.1% 8.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Muscat

$275 17.7% 101% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Muscat

$125 8% 10.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Muscat

$84 5.4% 14.9% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Muscat

$100 6.4% 89.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $674 in Muscat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muscat pays 119% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $39.00 in Muscat. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $292, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇴🇲 Muscat

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

12:42 12:42 PM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,090,797 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Muscat 13,840 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Muscat

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 Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Muscat differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $1,556 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 119% lower in Muscat. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $674 in Muscat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $39.00 in Muscat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,556 in Muscat – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,556 in Muscat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Muscat. 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Muscat are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Muscat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.