Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sharjah Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sharjah

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 6.9% cheaper than Sharjah without rent, and 20.6% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 1.4% more expensive than Sharjah without rent, and 1.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Sharjah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$208
$5.43 AED 19.93
118.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$742
$32.74 AED 120
28.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$189
$9.29 AED 34.08
15.72%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$9.78 AED 35.89
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$9.31 AED 34.15
-
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.1
$4.42 AED 16.23
-21.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.56
$0.94 AED 3.45
54.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.88
$0.35 AED 1.28
157.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.7
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.7
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Sharjah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.09
$1.77 AED 6.50
-22.60%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.93
$1.15 AED 4.23
62.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.15
$2.07 AED 7.59
-25.60%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.03
$2.83 AED 10.40
-11.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$151
$10.41 AED 38.22
-17.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$6.85 AED 25.14
25.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$194
$8.87 AED 32.56
24.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.36
$1.86 AED 6.81
47.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.12
$1.53 AED 5.63
-6.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.94
$1.48 AED 5.44
26.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.13
$1.17 AED 4.28
85.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.12
$0.99 AED 3.65
89.90%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.51
$1.21 AED 4.46
85.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.78
$1.50 AED 5.51
-28.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.88
$0.59 AED 2.16
81.36%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$15.37 AED 56.4
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.96 AED 7.18
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.37 AED 12.37
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.1
$6.47 AED 23.73
-35.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.54
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.69
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Sharjah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.76
$1.60 AED 5.89
-65.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$467
$40.82 AED 150
-35.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.6
$3.76 AED 13.79
-14.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.65
$0.69 AED 2.54
259.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.7
$4.76 AED 17.45
-34.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.09
$0.75 AED 2.75
68.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$539.3K
$45.0K AED 165.3K
-31.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$422.8K
$21.9K AED 80.5K
9.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Sharjah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,451
$193 AED 709
-57.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$392
$65.2 AED 239
-65.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$528
$103 AED 378
-70.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Sharjah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$905
$63.4 AED 233
-18.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$322
$38.02 AED 140
-51.89%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$87.7
$12.68 AED 46.52
-60.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Sharjah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,518
$278 AED 1,022
-28.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.3K
$5,966 AED 21.9K
-11.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Sharjah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$628
$51.8 AED 190
-31.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$696
$94.9 AED 348
-58.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,417
$95.6 AED 351
-15.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,554
$80.0 AED 294
10.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Sharjah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$769 AED 2,823
26.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,482
$589 AED 2,163
-18.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.1K
$1,605 AED 5,889
-0.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.8K
$1,016 AED 3,727
16.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.2K
$8,048 AED 29.5K
-49.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$114.7K
$2,730 AED 10.0K
138.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Sharjah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.3K
$2,443 AED 8,964
-69.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.42
158.37%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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