Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $642 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah 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-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$642

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $642 per month in Al-qardahah vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al-qardahah $642
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,016 per month in Al-qardahah vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al-qardahah $1,016
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,390 per month in Al-qardahah vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al-qardahah $1,390
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Al-qardahah is about 47% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Al-qardahah and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Al-qardahah 52% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 SYP 1,222

$10.67 MX$199

-5.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.56 SYP 5,171

$43.80 MX$815

-2.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 SYP 837

$11.79 MX$219

-41.56%

Cappuccino

$3.64 SYP 442

$3.79 MX$70.5

-3.96%

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

$2.23 SYP 271

$1.30 MX$24.14

71.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 SYP 105

$0.83 MX$15.51

3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 SYP 236

$3.15 MX$58.6

-38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 SYP 474

$4.93 MX$91.8

-20.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 SYP 128

$1.41 MX$26.22

-25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 SYP 54.3

$2.20 MX$40.86

-79.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 SYP 196

$1.47 MX$27.40

9.52%

Eggs

$1.57 SYP 191

$2.50 MX$46.46

-37.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.98 SYP 484

$7.29 MX$136

-45.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 SYP 675

$7.95 MX$148

-30.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 SYP 1,665

$12.86 MX$239

6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 SYP 126

$2.90 MX$53.9

-64.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 SYP 168

$1.38 MX$25.74

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 SYP 138

$2.49 MX$46.35

-54.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 SYP 130

$2.03 MX$37.77

-47.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 95.5

$2.02 MX$37.68

-60.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 91.9

$1.90 MX$35.42

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 SYP 53.5

$1.14 MX$21.30

-61.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 SYP 80.1

$1.24 MX$23.05

-46.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 SYP 329

$4.27 MX$79.5

-36.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 SYP 600

$9.81 MX$183

-49.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 SYP 140

$1.59 MX$29.51

-27.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 SYP 342

$2.75 MX$51.1

2.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 SYP 120

$4.76 MX$88.6

-79.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 SYP 181

$3.25 MX$60.5

-54.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 SYP 948

$5.39 MX$100

44.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.63 SYP 441

$1.53 MX$28.44

137.25%

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

$15.0K SYP 1.8M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

-29.23%

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

$19.3K SYP 2.3M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

-16.86%

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

$142 SYP 17.2K

$83.5 MX$1,554

69.94%

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

$9.67 SYP 1,175

$23.19 MX$431

-58.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.85 SYP 5,570

$27.61 MX$514

66.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 SYP 675

$5.00 MX$93.1

11.20%

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

$66.9 SYP 8,128

$207 MX$3,854

-67.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,770 SYP 215.1K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

-66.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.37 SYP 3,447

$43.45 MX$809

-34.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 SYP 4,792

$42.54 MX$792

-7.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 SYP 7,406

$72.8 MX$1,354

-16.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 SYP 7,020

$88.4 MX$1,645

-34.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

11.45

24.45%

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

Last update for Al-qardahah: 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.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-qardahah

$197 30.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 32% $63

Eating Out

Al-qardahah

$175 27.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 14.7% $26

Groceries & Markets

Al-qardahah

$167 26%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 54.4% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Al-qardahah

$84 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 32.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 498% $55

Getting Around

Al-qardahah

$8.4 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 499% $42

Accommodation & Living

Al-qardahah

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Al-qardahah versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $257 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

04:50 4:50 AM

8 h behind Al-qardahah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al-qardahah Playa del Carmen 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $963 per month in Al-qardahah and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $67 per month in Al-qardahah 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $642 in Al-qardahah to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.