Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saham and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Saham: $959 a month against $1,210 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.

46

Cost of Living Index in Saham
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Saham Living Index
59

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

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Saham

🇴🇲 Oman

$959

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saham and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $959 per month in Saham vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saham $959
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,439 per month in Saham vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saham $1,439
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,920 per month in Saham vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saham $1,920
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Saham is about 21% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Saham and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Saham 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 OMR 1.97

$10.76 MX$199

-52.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.33 OMR 15.14

$43.03 MX$795

-8.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 OMR 3.01

$11.79 MX$218

-33.76%

Cappuccino

$5.21 OMR 2.00

$3.87 MX$71.4

34.63%

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

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$1.37 MX$25.29

-33.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$0.84 MX$15.44

-65.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.19 OMR 5.08

$3.10 MX$57.3

325.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.89 OMR 4.96

$5.07 MX$93.6

154.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 OMR 0.90

$1.44 MX$26.55

61.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$2.23 MX$41.23

-46.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.47 MX$27.17

27.21%

Eggs

$2.92 OMR 1.13

$2.53 MX$46.71

15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 OMR 2.88

$7.30 MX$135

2.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 OMR 2.69

$7.86 MX$145

-10.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 OMR 4.12

$12.79 MX$236

-16.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 OMR 1.36

$2.90 MX$53.6

22.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 OMR 0.77

$1.44 MX$26.53

38.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 OMR 0.89

$2.55 MX$47.07

-9.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$2.06 MX$38.03

-38.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 OMR 0.47

$2.00 MX$36.97

-39.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 OMR 0.47

$2.01 MX$37.07

-38.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 OMR 0.72

$1.19 MX$22.02

57.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 OMR 0.25

$1.26 MX$23.23

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 OMR 2.49

$4.40 MX$81.4

46.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.88 OMR 6.11

$9.59 MX$177

65.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.05 OMR 2.33

$1.59 MX$29.41

280.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 OMR 3.91

$2.81 MX$51.9

260.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 OMR 1.27

$4.98 MX$92.1

-33.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 OMR 1.01

$3.50 MX$64.6

-25.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$5.40 MX$99.8

44.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

$1.47 MX$27.08

-59.18%

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

$25.1K OMR 9,647

$21.0K MX$387.8K

19.40%

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

$22.6K OMR 8,688

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-5.61%

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

$180 OMR 69.3

$84.2 MX$1,556

113.62%

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

$30.60 OMR 11.78

$23.99 MX$443

27.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 OMR 27.18

$29.02 MX$536

143.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 OMR 4.02

$4.94 MX$91.3

111.54%

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

$282 OMR 109

$204 MX$3,763

38.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K OMR 4,008

$3,941 MX$72.8K

164.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 OMR 21.78

$43.60 MX$806

29.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.91 OMR 16.52

$43.12 MX$797

-0.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 OMR 34.57

$75.8 MX$1,400

18.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 OMR 33.51

$88.6 MX$1,637

-1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

11.45

-54.15%

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

Last update for Saham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saham

$293 30.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 11.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saham

$281 29.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 51.2% $144

Eating Out

Saham

$223 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 9.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Saham

$124 13%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 9.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Saham

$21 * 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 249% $52

Getting Around

Saham

$16 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 222% $36

Accommodation & Living

Saham

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Saham versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Saham vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Saham

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

01:25 1:25 AM

9 h behind Saham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saham Playa del Carmen 13,690 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Saham
Playa del Carmen

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

Saham vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,439 per month in Saham and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $959 in Saham and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $282 per month in Saham and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saham, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Saham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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