Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,841 in Sharjah, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sharjah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
Learn more

Sharjah Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,841 in Sharjah, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Sharjah $1,841

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,576 in Sharjah, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Sharjah $2,576

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,312 in Sharjah, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Sharjah $3,312

Playa del Carmen is about 34% cheaper than Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Sharjah is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$5.97 AED 21.92

83.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$32.91 AED 121

36.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$8.29 AED 30.45

43.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.54 AED 35.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.35 AED 34.35

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.82 AED 14.02

-0.52%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.80 AED 2.93

63.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.29 AED 1.05

196.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.54 AED 5.64

-5.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.19 AED 4.38

95.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.83 AED 6.71

-21.31%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$3.21 AED 11.80

-23.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$8.64 AED 31.73

-10.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$6.63 AED 24.36

19.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$11.46 AED 42.09

11.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.27 AED 8.33

28.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.67 AED 6.12

-14.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.30 AED 4.78

97.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.28 AED 4.72

67.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.03 AED 3.79

89.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.12 AED 4.12

73.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.43 AED 5.26

-19.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.61 AED 2.23

100.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.53 AED 57.0

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 AED 8.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 AED 9.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$6.31 AED 23.19

-30.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$2.16 AED 7.92

-75.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$27.07 AED 99.4

1.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$3.65 AED 13.42

34.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.52 AED 1.91

576.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$12.07 AED 44.33

-52.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.94 AED 3.46

63.83%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$45.2K AED 166.0K

-53.01%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

11.19%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$208 AED 766

-59.90%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$49.40 AED 181

-51.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$96.1 AED 353

-69.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$53.5 AED 196

21.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$22.29 AED 81.9

32.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$13.54 AED 49.72

-62.41%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$325 AED 1,194

-36.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$8,433 AED 31.0K

-52.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$57.6 AED 212

-22.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$78.0 AED 286

-46.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$109 AED 401

-30.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$96.1 AED 353

-4.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$823 AED 3,024

19.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$906 AED 3,329

-57.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,797 AED 6,598

-4.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,402 AED 5,148

-20.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$8,241 AED 30.3K

-51.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$2,748 AED 10.1K

127.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$2,191 AED 8,045

-65.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.5

154.44%

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 Sharjah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Sharjah

$906 49% 135% $521

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Sharjah

$192 10.4% 26.2% $68

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Sharjah

$123 6.6% 39.8% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Sharjah

$354 19.1% 158% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Sharjah

$153 8.3% 34.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Sharjah

$81 4.4% 7.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Sharjah

$42 2.3% 19.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $823 in Sharjah. 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 189% higher in Sharjah, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $33.00 in Sharjah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $192 – making Sharjah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,400,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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 = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sharjah 13,490 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sharjah

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 Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sharjah is pricier by about 51%, 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 $2,761 in Sharjah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,841 in Sharjah. That's a gap of about 51%.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Sharjah at $1,841. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sharjah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sharjah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.