Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sheikh Zayed Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sheikh Zayed

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 127.5% more expensive than Sheikh Zayed without rent, and 164.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 131.8% more expensive than Sheikh Zayed without rent, and 187.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$3.61 EĀ£180
228.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$15.69 EĀ£782
168.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$3.93 EĀ£196
173.54%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$1.43 EĀ£71.4
142.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.31 EĀ£15.53
367.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.11 EĀ£5.46
718.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$1.21 EĀ£60.5
152.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$2.88 EĀ£144
53.47%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$0.81 EĀ£40.60
69.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.72 EĀ£36.11
159.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$0.69 EĀ£34.44
123.19%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$1.46 EĀ£72.7
71.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$3.96 EĀ£197
117.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$4.43 EĀ£221
94.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$9.63 EĀ£480
14.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$1.43 EĀ£71.5
92.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$0.51 EĀ£25.45
180.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.40 EĀ£19.76
367.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$0.37 EĀ£18.44
486.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$0.37 EĀ£18.54
408.11%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$0.39 EĀ£19.21
476.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.22 EĀ£10.92
386.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.14 EĀ£6.99
664.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$1.63 EĀ£81.1
154.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$5.19 EĀ£259
99.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.34 EĀ£66.9
25.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.70 EĀ£135
-8.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.25 EĀ£12.50
120.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$0.57 EĀ£28.23
464.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$0.42 EĀ£21.18
490.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$1.92 EĀ£95.8
61.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$0.33 EĀ£16.69
281.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$36.0K EĀ£1.8M
-14.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$33.7K EĀ£1.7M
-28.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$11.11 EĀ£554
642.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$5.81 EĀ£290
283.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$10.20 EĀ£508
194.31%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$40.28 EĀ£2,008
27.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$9.71 EĀ£484
88.36%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$3.00 EĀ£150
66.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$88.9 EĀ£4,431
125.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$1,835 EĀ£91.5K
189.11%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$27.52 EĀ£1,372
29.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$49.14 EĀ£2,450
-19.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$107 EĀ£5,330
-24.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$50.8 EĀ£2,533
73.82%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$193 EĀ£9,605
403.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$101 EĀ£5,051
375.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$437 EĀ£21.8K
265.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$178 EĀ£8,878
564.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$1,097 EĀ£54.7K
269.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$598 EĀ£29.8K
990.21%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$140 EĀ£6,961
441.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
17
-32.82%

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 Sheikh Zayed: March 2, 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

Similar cities