Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Shinas: $952 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Shinas, Oman
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Shinas
🇴🇲 Oman
$952
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $952 in Shinas, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Shinas $952

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,430 in Shinas, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Shinas $1,430

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,908 in Shinas, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Shinas $1,908

Playa del Carmen costs about 27% more than Shinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Shinas are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Shinas 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Shinas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$5.11 OMR 1.97
113.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$39.27 OMR 15.12
10.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$7.59 OMR 2.92
55.20%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$5.21 OMR 2.01
-26.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$0.84 OMR 0.32
52.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$0.29 OMR 0.11
168.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$12.92 OMR 4.97
-75.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$13.16 OMR 5.07
-62.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Shinas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$2.35 OMR 0.91
-40.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$1.19 OMR 0.46
86.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$1.91 OMR 0.73
-25.65%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$3.01 OMR 1.16
-16.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$7.24 OMR 2.79
0.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$6.86 OMR 2.64
12.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$10.13 OMR 3.90
25.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$3.53 OMR 1.36
-21.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.94 OMR 0.75
-29.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$2.39 OMR 0.92
6.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$1.27 OMR 0.49
66.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$1.17 OMR 0.45
65.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$1.27 OMR 0.49
48.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$1.87 OMR 0.72
-38.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.65 OMR 0.25
81.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$6.63 OMR 2.55
-35.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$15.36 OMR 5.91
-35.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$5.99 OMR 2.31
-73.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$10.12 OMR 3.90
-73.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Shinas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$3.24 OMR 1.25
53.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$2.64 OMR 1.02
26.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$7.96 OMR 3.06
-32.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$0.65 OMR 0.25
121.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$24.6K OMR 9,472
-16.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$20.6K OMR 7,915
14.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Shinas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$179 OMR 68.7
-52.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$31.10 OMR 11.97
-24.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$69.2 OMR 26.65
-58.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Shinas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$10.51 OMR 4.05
-51.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Shinas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$490 OMR 189
-57.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$10.3K OMR 3,982
-62.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Shinas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$56.2 OMR 21.63
-22.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$43.52 OMR 16.76
-4.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$89.6 OMR 34.51
-17.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$87.7 OMR 33.77
1.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Shinas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Shinas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
$3,086 OMR 1,188
-76.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5.25
118.10%

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 Shinas: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Shinas
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Shinas
$289 13.4% $34
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Shinas
$222 9.5% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Shinas
$279 104% $142
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Shinas
$125 11.6% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Shinas
$21 * 68.8% $46
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Shinas
$16 * 67.4% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Shinas are about 4.2 times higher, 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $39 in Shinas. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $289 in Shinas – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇴🇲 Shinas
🕒 Local time
17:24 5:24 PM
02:24 2:24 AM
9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
43,312
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.429 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Shinas 13,610 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Shinas

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 Shinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shinas cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,427 in Shinas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Shinas?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $952 in Shinas. That makes Shinas about 21% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $490 in Shinas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Playa del Carmen or in Shinas?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $952 in Shinas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Shinas?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $952 in Shinas to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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