Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shaab

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,386 in Shaab, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shaab outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Shaab
Learn more

Shaab Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Shaab

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,386 in Shaab, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Shaab $1,386

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,294 in Shaab, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Shaab $2,294

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,201 in Shaab, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Shaab $3,201

Playa del Carmen is about 13% cheaper than Shaab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Shaab is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$12.70 KWD 3.91

-14.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$63.2 KWD 19.47

-31.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$8.88 KWD 2.74

32.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 KWD 1.53

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.21 KWD 1.61

-26.87%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.70 KWD 0.22

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.29 KWD 0.09

168.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.58 KWD 0.49

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.46 KWD 0.45

52.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.98 KWD 0.61

-28.28%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.07 KWD 0.64

21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$4.42 KWD 1.36

64.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.74 KWD 2.08

14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.17 KWD 3.13

24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.52 KWD 0.78

10.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.92 KWD 0.59

-28.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.87 KWD 0.58

36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.48 KWD 0.46

43.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.32 KWD 0.41

46.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.49 KWD 0.46

26.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.30 KWD 0.71

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.57 KWD 0.18

107.02%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.69 KWD 0.83

59.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.81 KWD 0.25

-32.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$4.87 KWD 1.50

2.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$3.30 KWD 1.02

0.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$15.86 KWD 4.89

-66.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.35 KWD 0.11

311.43%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$23.6K KWD 7,262

-12.32%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$19.5K KWD 6,015

20.19%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$66.5 KWD 20.47

27.60%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$22.82 KWD 7.03

2.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$29.54 KWD 9.10

-2.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$102 KWD 31.37

-43.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$12.90 KWD 3.97

-60.16%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$503 KWD 155

-58.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$9,302 KWD 2,866

-57.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$37.18 KWD 11.46

16.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$39.66 KWD 12.22

4.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$97.4 KWD 30.01

-23.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$87.5 KWD 26.94

2.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$796 KWD 245

23.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$617 KWD 190

-38.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,694 KWD 522

0.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,320 KWD 407

-18.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$3,175 KWD 978

-76.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.53

75.34%

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 Shaab: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Shaab

$617 44.5% 62% $236

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Shaab

$186 13.4% 27% $69

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Shaab

$195 14.1% 3.8% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Shaab

$119 8.6% 13.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Shaab

$118 8.5% 5.4% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Shaab

$128 9.2% 89.5% $60

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Shaab

$25 * 1.8% 51.2% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $796 in Shaab. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shaab are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $63 in Shaab. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $186 in Shaab – so Shaab wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇼 Shaab

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

00:50 12:50 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

164,212

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Shaab 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Shaab

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 Shaab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shaab is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,080 in Shaab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shaab, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $796 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,386 in Shaab. That makes Playa del Carmen about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $503 in Shaab. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,386 in Shaab. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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