Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sohar

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,403 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
Learn more

Sohar Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,403 in Sohar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Sohar $1,403

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,068 in Sohar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Sohar $2,068

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,734 in Sohar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Sohar $2,734

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

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Sohar is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$6.48 OMR 2.50

69.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$20.49 OMR 7.89

118.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$9.19 OMR 3.54

29.71%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.77 OMR 1.84

-20.34%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.64 OMR 0.25

104.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.28 OMR 0.11

207.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$13.24 OMR 5.10

-75.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$14.46 OMR 5.57

-65.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$2.11 OMR 0.81

-30.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.11 OMR 0.43

109.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$3.23 OMR 1.24

-55.42%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.74 OMR 1.05

-10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$13.31 OMR 5.12

-42.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$9.30 OMR 3.58

-15.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$14.55 OMR 5.60

-12.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$3.22 OMR 1.24

-9.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$2.19 OMR 0.84

-35.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.49 OMR 0.96

3.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.22 OMR 0.47

75.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.74 OMR 0.67

12.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.79 OMR 0.69

8.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.70 OMR 0.66

-32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.90 OMR 0.35

35.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$5.83 OMR 2.25

-24.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$25.80 OMR 9.93

-61.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$3.79 OMR 1.46

-59.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$8.71 OMR 3.35

-68.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$2.63 OMR 1.01

-80.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$51.1 OMR 19.65

-46.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$3.19 OMR 1.23

53.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.58 OMR 0.61

122.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$10.21 OMR 3.93

-44.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.60 OMR 0.23

156.67%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$18.4K OMR 7,101

15.16%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$20.3K OMR 7,830

20.41%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$102 OMR 39.41

-18.31%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$29.06 OMR 11.19

-17.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$90.2 OMR 34.72

-67.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$49.40 OMR 19.02

31.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$11.56 OMR 4.45

-55.97%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$303 OMR 117

-31.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$7,070 OMR 2,722

-42.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$50.1 OMR 19.30

-11.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$43.95 OMR 16.92

-4.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$78.4 OMR 30.18

-3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$46.23 OMR 17.80

97.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$503 OMR 194

96.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$378 OMR 146

1.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$827 OMR 319

107.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$665 OMR 256

66.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$1,178 OMR 454

240.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$765 OMR 295

716.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$2,514 OMR 968

-69.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.33

80.88%

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 Sohar: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Sohar

$378 26.5% 1.8% $7.1

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Sohar

$346 24.3% 32.9% $86

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Sohar

$235 16.5% 15.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Sohar

$222 15.6% 61.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Sohar

$98 6.9% 13.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 3.3% $2.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 39.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $503 in Sohar. 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 232% higher in Sohar, 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 $20.00 in Sohar. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $346 in Sohar – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇴🇲 Sohar

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

10:33 10:33 AM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

221,605

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sohar 13,660 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sohar

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 Sohar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,104 in Sohar. 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 $1,403 in Sohar. That's a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 86% 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 Sohar at $1,403. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sohar 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, Sohar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.