Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-mawsil and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $597 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
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Al-mawsil 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-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$597

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $597 in Al-mawsil versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Al-mawsil $597
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $906 in Al-mawsil versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Al-mawsil $906
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,214 in Al-mawsil versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Al-mawsil $1,214
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Al-mawsil costs roughly 50% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-mawsil 56% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 IQD 6,296

$10.67 MX$199

-60.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.66 IQD 16.1K

$43.80 MX$815

-75.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 IQD 7,265

$11.79 MX$219

-59.20%

Cappuccino

$0.68 IQD 1,029

$3.79 MX$70.5

-82.06%

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

$0.32 IQD 482

$1.30 MX$24.14

-75.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 IQD 265

$0.83 MX$15.51

-78.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.81 IQD 1,224

$3.15 MX$58.6

-74.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 IQD 2,029

$4.93 MX$91.8

-72.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$1.41 MX$26.22

-51.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 IQD 976

$2.20 MX$40.86

-70.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 872

$1.47 MX$27.40

-60.54%

Eggs

$0.95 IQD 1,435

$2.50 MX$46.46

-62.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 IQD 10.9K

$7.29 MX$136

-0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 IQD 4,522

$7.95 MX$148

-62.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 IQD 11.9K

$12.86 MX$239

-38.65%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,031

$2.90 MX$53.9

-76.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,033

$1.38 MX$25.74

-50.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 738

$2.49 MX$46.35

-80.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.24 IQD 364

$2.03 MX$37.77

-88.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 IQD 410

$2.02 MX$37.68

-86.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 IQD 482

$1.90 MX$35.42

-83.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 911

$1.14 MX$21.30

-47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 779

$1.24 MX$23.05

-58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 IQD 2,425

$4.27 MX$79.5

-62.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

$9.81 MX$183

10.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 IQD 2,237

$1.59 MX$29.51

-6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 IQD 2,810

$2.75 MX$51.1

-32.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 IQD 523

$0.51 MX$9.58

-31.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.92 IQD 39.2K

$27.39 MX$510

-5.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,521

$4.76 MX$88.6

-64.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 IQD 2,349

$3.25 MX$60.5

-52.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 IQD 6,008

$5.39 MX$100

-26.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 432

$1.53 MX$28.44

-81.05%

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

$13.4K IQD 20.2M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

-37.06%

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

$15.4K IQD 23.3M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

-33.62%

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

$90.9 IQD 137.3K

$83.5 MX$1,554

8.84%

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

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

$23.19 MX$431

-47.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

$27.61 MX$514

-16.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

$56.4 MX$1,050

-34.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$28.19 MX$525

-76.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 IQD 9,880

$5.00 MX$93.1

30.80%

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

$295 IQD 445.5K

$207 MX$3,854

42.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$589 IQD 889.3K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

-88.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.58 IQD 25.1K

$43.45 MX$809

-61.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.00 IQD 19.6K

$42.54 MX$792

-69.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$72.8 MX$1,354

-18.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$16.06 IQD 24.3K

$88.4 MX$1,645

-81.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 IQD 319.8K

$995 MX$18.5K

-78.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 210.0K

$382 MX$7,116

-63.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 IQD 564.8K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-77.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 475.0K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-70.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$868 IQD 1.3M

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-77.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 IQD 741.2K

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-92.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$522 IQD 788.5K

$832 MX$15.5K

-37.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

11.45

-77.90%

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

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-mawsil

$139 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 175% $243

Groceries & Markets

Al-mawsil

$133 22.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 93.3% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-mawsil

$126 21.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 6.4% $8.1

Eating Out

Al-mawsil

$65 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 210% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 32.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Al-mawsil

$47 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 135% $64

Getting Around

Al-mawsil

$37 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $212 in Al-mawsil and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $11 in Al-mawsil vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $133 vs $257 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

8 h behind Al-mawsil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,683,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,690 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-mawsil Playa del Carmen 11,800 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Al-mawsil is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Al-mawsil. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $212 in Al-mawsil versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $295 in Al-mawsil versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $597 in Al-mawsil versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Al-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.