Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-musayyib: $768 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Al-musayyib
Learn more

Al-musayyib Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$768

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $768 in Al-musayyib versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Al-musayyib $768
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Al-musayyib versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Al-musayyib $1,152
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,536 in Al-musayyib versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Al-musayyib $1,536
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Al-musayyib costs roughly 36% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-musayyib 44% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.50 IQD 6,793

$10.92 MX$204

-58.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.91 IQD 39.1K

$43.37 MX$808

-40.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 IQD 9,721

$11.78 MX$220

-45.42%

Cappuccino

$2.82 IQD 4,267

$3.81 MX$71.0

-25.98%

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

$0.38 IQD 576

$1.28 MX$23.90

-70.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 332

$0.78 MX$14.59

-71.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 IQD 5,026

$3.17 MX$59.0

5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 IQD 4,904

$4.93 MX$92.0

-34.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 IQD 1,359

$1.41 MX$26.22

-36.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$2.22 MX$41.33

-69.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 IQD 1,971

$1.42 MX$26.42

-8.45%

Eggs

$1.29 IQD 1,951

$2.52 MX$47.03

-48.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.42 IQD 5,163

$7.26 MX$135

-52.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 IQD 4,962

$7.70 MX$143

-57.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

$12.69 MX$237

-20.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,540

$2.78 MX$51.9

-63.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,357

$1.37 MX$25.50

-34.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$2.55 MX$47.55

-63.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 721

$2.12 MX$39.58

-77.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 817

$1.94 MX$36.13

-72.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 732

$1.89 MX$35.16

-74.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 IQD 730

$1.15 MX$21.37

-58.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 518

$1.18 MX$21.98

-71.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$4.30 MX$80.1

-60.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 IQD 18.1K

$9.95 MX$185

20.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 IQD 2,862

$1.58 MX$29.52

19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,831

$2.67 MX$49.79

-29.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$0.55 MX$10.31

-41.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 IQD 3,043

$4.97 MX$92.6

-59.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,961

$3.33 MX$62.1

-60.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

$5.36 MX$99.8

25.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$1.44 MX$26.92

-61.81%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-20.02%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-29.54%

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

$187 IQD 282.9K

$84.8 MX$1,581

120.80%

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

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

$23.41 MX$436

-15.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.37 IQD 58.0K

$28.66 MX$534

33.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.70 IQD 50.9K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-40.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

$5.14 MX$95.8

98.25%

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

$146 IQD 220.6K

$207 MX$3,851

-29.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,199 IQD 4.8M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-18.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.73 IQD 38.9K

$43.35 MX$808

-40.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 IQD 50.7K

$41.44 MX$772

-19.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

$74.2 MX$1,383

-20.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.11 IQD 62.1K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-53.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 IQD 311.9K

$980 MX$18.3K

-78.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 IQD 192.6K

$381 MX$7,099

-66.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 IQD 485.3K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-81.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 465.5K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-71.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$974 IQD 1.5M

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-75.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$537 IQD 811.4K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-91.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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-musayyib: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-musayyib

$245 31.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 44.2% $109

Groceries & Markets

Al-musayyib

$145 18.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 75.3% $109

Accommodation & Living

Al-musayyib

$127 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 199% $253

Eating Out

Al-musayyib

$115 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 76.5% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Al-musayyib

$72 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 55.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Al-musayyib

$54 7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 24.5% $13

Getting Around

Al-musayyib

$9.8 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 416% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $206 in Al-musayyib and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26 in Al-musayyib vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $145 vs $255 per month, with Al-musayyib cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

16:23 4:23 PM

8 h behind Al-musayyib

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

279,939

149,923

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al-musayyib Playa del Carmen 12,150 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $768 in Al-musayyib and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Al-musayyib is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,153 in Al-musayyib and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $206 in Al-musayyib versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $146 in Al-musayyib versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-musayyib – a meal for two runs $26 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $768 in Al-musayyib versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Al-musayyib but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al-musayyib 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.