Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Kut and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $657 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
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Al Kut Living Index
57

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

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Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $657 per month in Al Kut vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al Kut $657
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,024 per month in Al Kut vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al Kut $1,024
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,391 per month in Al Kut vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al Kut $1,391
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Al Kut is about 45% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Al Kut and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Al Kut 51% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 IQD 6,426

$10.67 MX$198

-60.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.06 IQD 31.8K

$43.80 MX$813

-51.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 IQD 9,511

$11.79 MX$219

-46.65%

Cappuccino

$2.48 IQD 3,748

$3.79 MX$70.3

-34.56%

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

$0.35 IQD 534

$1.30 MX$24.07

-73.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.83 MX$15.47

-73.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 IQD 5,072

$3.15 MX$58.4

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 IQD 3,934

$4.93 MX$91.6

-47.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,499

$1.41 MX$26.14

-29.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,108

$2.20 MX$40.75

-66.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 IQD 2,234

$1.47 MX$27.33

0.68%

Eggs

$1.54 IQD 2,321

$2.50 MX$46.34

-38.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.76 IQD 5,679

$7.29 MX$135

-48.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 IQD 5,256

$7.95 MX$148

-56.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$12.86 MX$239

-9.49%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,311

$2.90 MX$53.8

-70.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 IQD 1,582

$1.38 MX$25.67

-23.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 IQD 1,292

$2.49 MX$46.23

-65.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$2.03 MX$37.67

-67.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 820

$2.02 MX$37.58

-73.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 927

$1.90 MX$35.32

-67.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 873

$1.14 MX$21.24

-49.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 775

$1.24 MX$22.99

-58.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 IQD 2,563

$4.27 MX$79.3

-60.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.12 IQD 16.8K

$9.81 MX$182

13.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,382

$1.59 MX$29.43

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 IQD 2,837

$2.75 MX$51.0

-31.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 481

$0.51 MX$9.56

-37.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 IQD 2,823

$4.76 MX$88.4

-60.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,019

$3.25 MX$60.3

-58.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 IQD 8,382

$5.39 MX$100

2.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 871

$1.53 MX$28.36

-62.09%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$21.2K MX$393.7K

-20.83%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$23.3K MX$431.7K

-29.33%

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

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

$83.5 MX$1,549

1.93%

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

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

$23.19 MX$430

-41.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

$27.61 MX$512

3.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

$56.4 MX$1,047

-34.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 IQD 13.8K

$5.00 MX$92.8

82.20%

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

$146 IQD 220.6K

$207 MX$3,843

-29.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

$5,231 MX$97.1K

-46.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.30 IQD 32.2K

$43.45 MX$806

-50.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

$42.54 MX$789

-46.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

$72.8 MX$1,350

-16.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.16 IQD 56.1K

$88.4 MX$1,640

-57.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 IQD 318.6K

$995 MX$18.5K

-78.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 209.0K

$382 MX$7,097

-63.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 IQD 556.5K

$1,674 MX$31.1K

-78.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 IQD 476.3K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-70.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$849 IQD 1.3M

$3,909 MX$72.5K

-78.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$488 IQD 737.0K

$6,138 MX$113.9K

-92.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

11.45

-64.02%

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

Last update for Al Kut: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al Kut

$156 23.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 65.5% $102

Accommodation & Living

Al Kut

$138 21.1%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 177% $244

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Kut

$127 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 5.4% $6.9

Eating Out

Al Kut

$107 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 87.2% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Al Kut

$64 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 74.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Al Kut

$55 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 20.4% $11

Getting Around

Al Kut

$9.8 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 414% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $211 in Al Kut versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Al Kut versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $257 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

18:24 6:24 PM

8 h behind Al Kut

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,793

149,923

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al Kut Playa del Carmen 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Kut
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $657 in Al Kut, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Al Kut comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $985 per month in Al Kut and $1,804 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 Al Kut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $657 in Al Kut and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Al Kut about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $146 per month in Al Kut and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Al Kut, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Al Kut it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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