Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ahvaz and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ahvaz: $576 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Ahvaz
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Ahvaz Living Index
58

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

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Ahvaz

🇮🇷 Iran

$576

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $576 per month in Ahvaz vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ahvaz $576
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $876 per month in Ahvaz vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ahvaz $876
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,176 per month in Ahvaz vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ahvaz $1,176
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ahvaz is about 52% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ahvaz and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ahvaz 58% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 $1.97

$10.92 MX$205

-81.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.14 $12.14

$43.37 MX$814

-72.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.83 $3.83

$11.78 MX$221

-67.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 $0.86

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

Cappuccino

$1.19 $1.19

$3.81 MX$71.5

-68.77%

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

$0.48 $0.48

$1.28 MX$24.07

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.78 MX$14.70

21.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.41 MX$26.40

-37.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 $0.57

$2.22 MX$41.62

-74.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.42 MX$26.61

27.46%

Eggs

$1.25 $1.25

$2.52 MX$47.36

-50.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$7.26 MX$136

-42.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$7.70 MX$144

-50.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 $9.30

$12.69 MX$238

-26.71%

Apples (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.78 MX$52.3

-69.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.37 MX$25.68

2.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.55 MX$47.89

-69.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$2.12 MX$39.86

-74.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 $0.60

$1.94 MX$36.39

-69.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.89 MX$35.41

-71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 $0.44

$1.15 MX$21.53

-61.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 $0.31

$1.18 MX$22.13

-73.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.03 $1.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 $1.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 $2.21

$4.30 MX$80.6

-48.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 $0.15

$0.55 MX$10.39

-72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.71 $9.71

$26.62 MX$500

-63.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 $0.48

$4.97 MX$93.3

-90.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 $0.52

$3.33 MX$62.5

-84.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$5.36 MX$101

-45.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.44 MX$27.11

-93.06%

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

$117.4K $117.4K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

468.32%

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

$62.6K $62.6K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

166.59%

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

$14.03 $14.03

$84.8 MX$1,592

-83.45%

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

$1.55 $1.55

$23.41 MX$439

-93.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.04 $7.04

$28.66 MX$538

-75.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.14 $18.14

$57.1 MX$1,071

-68.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.93 $5.93

$28.91 MX$543

-79.49%

Cinema Ticket

$1.19 $1.19

$5.14 MX$96.5

-76.85%

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

$104 $104

$207 MX$3,878

-49.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$636 $636

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-83.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$43.35 MX$814

23.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.31 $47.31

$41.44 MX$778

14.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 $94.9

$74.2 MX$1,393

27.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$89.3 MX$1,676

15.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 $312

$980 MX$18.4K

-68.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 $225

$381 MX$7,150

-40.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 $512

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-70.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 $349

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-67.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,274 $1,274

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-67.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 $742

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-87.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$541 $541

$735 MX$13.8K

-26.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.67

11.45

106.72%

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

Last update for Ahvaz: October 27, 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

Ahvaz

$225 39%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 69.2% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Ahvaz

$135 23.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17% $23

Groceries & Markets

Ahvaz

$113 19.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 125% $142

Eating Out

Ahvaz

$47 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 328% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ahvaz

$23 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 505% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Ahvaz

$21 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 228% $47

Getting Around

Ahvaz

$13 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 278% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Ahvaz 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 36% 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 $12 in Ahvaz versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $113 vs $255 – making Ahvaz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Ahvaz

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

8 h 30 min behind Ahvaz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,184,788

149,923

💱 Currency

USD USD

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ahvaz Playa del Carmen 12,560 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ahvaz
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $865 per month in Ahvaz 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 Ahvaz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $312 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Ahvaz and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $576 in Ahvaz and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Ahvaz about 52% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ahvaz, where all-in costs run around $576, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ahvaz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ahvaz – 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 Ahvaz. 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.