Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,027 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index
59

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

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,027

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanaa 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 Sanaa and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,027 per month in Sanaa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sanaa $1,027
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,623 per month in Sanaa vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sanaa $1,623
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Sanaa vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sanaa $2,220
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Sanaa is about 15% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Sanaa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sanaa 24% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 YER 1,534

$10.86 MX$201

-40.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.73 YER 6,069

$44.21 MX$817

-41.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 YER 2,211

$11.76 MX$217

-20.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 YER 477

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 610

Cappuccino

$3.78 YER 892

$3.68 MX$68.0

2.72%

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

$1.12 YER 264

$1.34 MX$24.79

-16.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 YER 131

$0.82 MX$15.24

-31.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 YER 474

$1.47 MX$27.17

36.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 YER 401

$2.22 MX$40.95

-23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 YER 470

$1.48 MX$27.32

34.46%

Eggs

$3.75 YER 885

$2.49 MX$45.99

50.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 YER 4,107

$7.52 MX$139

131.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 YER 1,980

$7.96 MX$147

5.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 YER 4,475

$12.57 MX$232

50.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 YER 783

$2.78 MX$51.3

19.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 249

$1.43 MX$26.37

-26.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 YER 529

$2.62 MX$48.37

-14.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 YER 392

$2.14 MX$39.49

-22.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$2.02 MX$37.38

-25.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 YER 313

$1.99 MX$36.74

-33.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 283

$1.14 MX$21.01

5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 YER 159

$1.20 MX$22.18

-44.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.49 YER 587

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 438

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 YER 614

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 YER 1,265

$4.26 MX$78.7

25.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 YER 104

$0.53 MX$9.73

-16.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 YER 19.9K

$27.51 MX$508

206.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 YER 1,005

$4.90 MX$90.6

-13.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 YER 492

$3.43 MX$63.5

-39.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 YER 1,763

$5.38 MX$99.4

38.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 YER 500

$1.45 MX$26.76

46.21%

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

$17.1K YER 4.0M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-18.98%

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

$34.5K YER 8.1M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

49.73%

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$85.4 MX$1,577

27.35%

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

$23.24 YER 5,481

$23.46 MX$434

-0.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$100 YER 23.7K

$28.43 MX$525

253.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.4 YER 15.9K

$62.2 MX$1,149

8.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 YER 3,899

$28.68 MX$530

-42.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 YER 1,413

$5.10 MX$94.3

17.45%

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

$118 YER 27.9K

$201 MX$3,715

-41.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,167 YER 511.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-45.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.90 YER 9,884

$44.39 MX$820

-5.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$123 YER 28.9K

$41.35 MX$764

196.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.13 YER 11.4K

$72.7 MX$1,344

-33.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.83 YER 9,632

$89.6 MX$1,656

-54.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 YER 52.9K

$979 MX$18.1K

-77.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.0 YER 22.9K

$373 MX$6,887

-73.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 YER 96.3K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-75.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 YER 64.5K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-75.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,161 YER 981.6K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

5.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$798 YER 188.3K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-86.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$196 YER 46.2K

$738 MX$13.6K

-73.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

11.45

-1.75%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$271 26.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 4.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$232 22.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 40.9% $95

Eating Out

Sanaa

$132 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 51.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$114 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.1% $2.4

Getting Around

Sanaa

$101 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 48.6% $49

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$97 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 284% $276

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 8.8% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $224 in Sanaa versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. 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 276% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $26.00 in Sanaa versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $271 in Sanaa vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

06:39 6:39 AM

8 h behind Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 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 YER in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sanaa Playa del Carmen 13,360 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,541 per month in Sanaa and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanaa, 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 $1,027 in Sanaa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 206% less in Sanaa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanaa, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sanaa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sanaa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sanaa. 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.