Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,444 in Al-Qurain, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al-Qurain outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Al-Qurain
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Al-Qurain Living Index
58

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

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Al-Qurain

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,444

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,444 per month in Al-Qurain vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al-Qurain $1,444
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,407 per month in Al-Qurain vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al-Qurain $2,407
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,371 per month in Al-Qurain vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Al-Qurain $3,371
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Al-Qurain costs about 20% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Al-Qurain sits 6% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.68 KWD 3.91

$10.92 MX$204

16.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 KWD 20.01

$43.37 MX$808

49.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.98 KWD 2.77

$11.78 MX$220

-23.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 KWD 1.46

Cappuccino

$5.15 KWD 1.59

$3.81 MX$71.0

35.17%

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

$0.70 KWD 0.22

$1.28 MX$23.90

-45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 KWD 0.09

$0.78 MX$14.59

-62.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 KWD 0.49

$1.41 MX$26.22

12.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 KWD 0.45

$2.22 MX$41.33

-34.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 KWD 0.60

$1.42 MX$26.42

36.62%

Eggs

$2.05 KWD 0.63

$2.52 MX$47.03

-18.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.38 KWD 1.35

$7.26 MX$135

-39.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 KWD 2.07

$7.70 MX$143

-12.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 KWD 3.11

$12.69 MX$237

-20.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 KWD 0.75

$2.78 MX$51.9

-12.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 KWD 0.60

$1.37 MX$25.50

41.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 KWD 0.58

$2.55 MX$47.55

-26.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 KWD 0.46

$2.12 MX$39.58

-30.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 KWD 0.40

$1.94 MX$36.13

-32.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 KWD 0.44

$1.89 MX$35.16

-24.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 KWD 0.73

$1.15 MX$21.37

105.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 KWD 0.17

$1.18 MX$21.98

-54.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.24 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 KWD 0.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 KWD 0.82

$4.30 MX$80.1

-37.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 KWD 0.26

$0.55 MX$10.31

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 KWD 1.51

$4.97 MX$92.6

-1.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 KWD 0.98

$3.33 MX$62.1

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.11 KWD 4.96

$5.36 MX$99.8

200.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.36 KWD 0.11

$1.44 MX$26.92

-75.00%

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

$23.4K KWD 7,225

$20.7K MX$385.2K

13.48%

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

$20.0K KWD 6,167

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-14.70%

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

$64.2 KWD 19.78

$84.8 MX$1,581

-24.30%

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

$22.45 KWD 6.92

$23.41 MX$436

-4.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.56 KWD 9.11

$28.66 MX$534

3.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$106 KWD 32.71

$57.1 MX$1,063

86.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$13.00 KWD 4.01

$5.14 MX$95.8

152.92%

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

$498 KWD 154

$207 MX$3,851

141.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,315 KWD 2,870

$3,927 MX$73.2K

137.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.72 KWD 11.62

$43.35 MX$808

-12.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 KWD 12.11

$41.44 MX$772

-5.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 KWD 30.42

$74.2 MX$1,383

33.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 KWD 27.76

$89.3 MX$1,664

0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 KWD 230

$980 MX$18.3K

-23.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 KWD 207

$381 MX$7,099

76.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 KWD 506

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 KWD 455

$1,075 MX$20.0K

37.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,483 KWD 1,381

$735 MX$13.7K

510.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

11.45

-42.97%

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

Last update for Al-Qurain: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Al-Qurain

$673 46.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 43.4% $292

Eating Out

Al-Qurain

$194 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 4.3% $8.3

Groceries & Markets

Al-Qurain

$185 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 37.9% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Qurain

$132 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 49.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Qurain

$120 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.6% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Qurain

$116 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 17.8% $21

Getting Around

Al-Qurain

$24 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 108% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $745 in Al-Qurain 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 in Al-Qurain are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Al-Qurain versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $185 in Al-Qurain vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Al-Qurain wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Al-Qurain

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

14:04 2:04 PM

8 h behind Al-Qurain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,458

149,923

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇼 Kuwaiti Dinar (د.ك)

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 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 KWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al-Qurain Playa del Carmen 12,680 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Al-Qurain is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,165 per month in Al-Qurain 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 Al-Qurain, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $745 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Al-Qurain and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in Al-Qurain – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,444 in Al-Qurain. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al-Qurain makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.