Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Salalah

For one person, living is cheaper in Salalah: $1,059 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
Learn more

Salalah Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,059 in Salalah, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Salalah $1,059

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,599 in Salalah, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Salalah $1,599

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,138 in Salalah, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Salalah $2,138

Playa del Carmen costs about 15% more than Salalah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Playa del Carmen and Salalah are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Salalah 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$5.31 OMR 2.05

106.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$26.43 OMR 10.17

69.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$12.97 OMR 4.99

-8.10%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$6.09 OMR 2.34

-37.60%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.90 OMR 0.35

45.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.25 OMR 0.10

244.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$9.33 OMR 3.59

-65.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$10.30 OMR 3.96

-51.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.93 OMR 0.74

-24.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.23 OMR 0.47

89.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$2.66 OMR 1.03

-45.86%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$1.82 OMR 0.70

35.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$4.58 OMR 1.76

68.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$4.62 OMR 1.78

70.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$6.61 OMR 2.55

93.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$1.91 OMR 0.74

52.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-24.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.12 OMR 0.82

21.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.87 OMR 0.72

14.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.52 OMR 0.59

28.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.03 OMR 0.40

88.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.04 OMR 0.40

10.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.48 OMR 0.18

154.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$5.84 OMR 2.25

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$19.73 OMR 7.60

-50.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$3.81 OMR 1.47

-59.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$4.76 OMR 1.83

-42.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.32 OMR 0.51

-60.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$55.3 OMR 21.27

-50.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$2.31 OMR 0.89

112.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.32 OMR 0.51

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$11.49 OMR 4.42

-50.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.61 OMR 0.23

152.46%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$20.8K OMR 8,004

2.16%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$18.3K OMR 7,048

33.77%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$78.1 OMR 30.07

7.04%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$49.55 OMR 19.08

-51.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$74.3 OMR 28.59

-60.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$39.58 OMR 15.24

63.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$26.22 OMR 10.10

12.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$7.81 OMR 3.01

-34.83%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$106 OMR 40.78

96.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$1,942 OMR 747

108.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$28.74 OMR 11.06

55.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$30.76 OMR 11.84

36.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$57.8 OMR 22.23

30.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$46.20 OMR 17.79

97.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$251 OMR 96.5

293.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$205 OMR 79.0

87.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$642 OMR 247

167.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$382 OMR 147

189.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$1,981 OMR 763

102.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,240 OMR 477

403.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$1,771 OMR 682

-57.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.58

150.00%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Salalah: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Salalah

$205 19.3% 46.7% $180

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Salalah

$229 21.6% 11.9% $31

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Salalah

$226 21.3% 11% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Salalah

$202 19% 47.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Salalah

$74 6.9% 35.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Salalah

$55 5.2% 26.4% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Salalah

$69 6.6% 33.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $251 in Salalah. 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 134% higher in Salalah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $26.00 in Salalah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $229 – making Salalah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇴🇲 Salalah

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

14:45 2:45 PM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

178,469

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.431 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Salalah 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Salalah

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 Salalah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,589 in Salalah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salalah, 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 $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,059 in Salalah. That's a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 101% less in Salalah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Salalah, where all-in costs run around $1,059, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Salalah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salalah – 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 Salalah. 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.