Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wadi Musa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Wadi Musa: $1,012 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Wadi Musa
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Wadi Musa Living Index
58

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

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Wadi Musa

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,012

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Wadi Musa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wadi Musa $1,012
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,308 per month in Wadi Musa vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wadi Musa $1,308
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,604 per month in Wadi Musa vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wadi Musa $1,604
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Wadi Musa is about 16% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Wadi Musa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Wadi Musa 26% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 JOD 4.92

$10.92 MX$205

-36.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.44 JOD 25.09

$43.37 MX$815

-18.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.85 JOD 4.85

$11.78 MX$221

-41.85%

Cappuccino

$2.79 JOD 1.98

$3.81 MX$71.6

-26.77%

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

$0.47 JOD 0.33

$1.28 MX$24.10

-63.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 JOD 0.28

$0.78 MX$14.71

-48.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.70 JOD 6.16

$3.17 MX$59.5

174.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.04 JOD 7.82

$4.93 MX$92.7

123.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 JOD 0.98

$1.41 MX$26.43

-1.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 JOD 0.49

$2.22 MX$41.66

-68.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.42 MX$26.64

1.41%

Eggs

$2.32 JOD 1.64

$2.52 MX$47.41

-7.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 JOD 6.41

$7.26 MX$137

24.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 JOD 3.93

$7.70 MX$145

-27.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 JOD 8.03

$12.69 MX$239

-10.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$2.78 MX$52.3

-48.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 JOD 0.98

$1.37 MX$25.71

0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 JOD 0.98

$2.55 MX$47.94

-45.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 JOD 0.52

$2.12 MX$39.90

-65.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 JOD 0.49

$1.94 MX$36.43

-64.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 JOD 0.49

$1.89 MX$35.44

-63.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 JOD 0.45

$1.15 MX$21.55

-45.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 JOD 0.31

$1.18 MX$22.16

-62.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 JOD 2.43

$4.30 MX$80.7

-20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.02 JOD 14.89

$9.95 MX$187

111.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.98 JOD 3.53

$1.58 MX$29.76

215.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 JOD 3.60

$2.67 MX$50.2

90.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 JOD 0.44

$4.97 MX$93.4

-87.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 JOD 0.97

$3.33 MX$62.6

-58.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 JOD 4.97

$5.36 MX$101

31.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 JOD 0.78

$1.44 MX$27.14

-23.61%

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

$32.7K JOD 23.1K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

58.03%

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

$34.4K JOD 24.3K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

46.48%

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

$71.8 JOD 50.8

$84.8 MX$1,594

-15.33%

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

$4.12 JOD 2.92

$23.41 MX$440

-82.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 JOD 9.90

$28.66 MX$539

-51.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.62 JOD 24.51

$57.1 MX$1,072

-39.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 JOD 7.91

$5.14 MX$96.6

117.32%

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

$557 JOD 394

$207 MX$3,882

169.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,465 JOD 6,701

$3,927 MX$73.8K

141.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 JOD 43.78

$43.35 MX$815

42.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$80.0 JOD 56.7

$41.44 MX$779

93.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 JOD 88.1

$74.2 MX$1,394

67.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.4 JOD 59.0

$89.3 MX$1,677

-6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 JOD 249

$980 MX$18.4K

-64.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 JOD 201

$381 MX$7,157

-25.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$499 JOD 354

$735 MX$13.8K

-32.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

11.45

-39.39%

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

Last update for Wadi Musa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wadi Musa

$284 28.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 34% $97

Groceries & Markets

Wadi Musa

$238 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 7.1% $17

Eating Out

Wadi Musa

$179 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 13.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Wadi Musa

$157 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wadi Musa

$90 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Wadi Musa

$57 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 18.2% $10

Getting Around

Wadi Musa

$7.5 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 574% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $351 in Wadi Musa versus $980 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 47% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Wadi Musa versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $255 – making Wadi Musa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Wadi Musa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

00:56 12:56 AM

8 h behind Wadi Musa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.791 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wadi Musa Playa del Carmen 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Wadi Musa
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,519 per month in Wadi Musa 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 Wadi Musa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $351 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,012 in Wadi Musa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Wadi Musa about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $557 per month in Wadi Musa and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,012 in Wadi Musa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,012 in Wadi Musa to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Wadi Musa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.