Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between As-salimiyah and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,328 in As-salimiyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in As-salimiyah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

As-salimiyah, Kuwait
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
As-salimiyah
🇰🇼 Kuwait
$1,328
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,328 per month in As-salimiyah vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • As-salimiyah $1,328
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,190 per month in As-salimiyah vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • As-salimiyah $2,190
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,051 per month in As-salimiyah vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • As-salimiyah $3,051
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

As-salimiyah costs about 10% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both As-salimiyah and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – As-salimiyah 2% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
As-salimiyah
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.23 KWD 2.54
$10.92 MX$204
-24.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.19 KWD 11.77
$43.37 MX$808
-11.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.10 KWD 2.80
$11.78 MX$220
-22.75%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 KWD 1.01
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 KWD 0.50
-
-
Cappuccino
$4.48 KWD 1.38
$3.81 MX$71.0
17.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 KWD 0.23
$1.28 MX$23.90
-41.41%
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
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
As-salimiyah
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 KWD 0.40
$1.41 MX$26.22
-7.09%
White Bread (500g)
$0.75 KWD 0.23
$2.22 MX$41.33
-66.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 KWD 0.61
$1.42 MX$26.42
38.73%
Eggs
$2.13 KWD 0.66
$2.52 MX$47.03
-15.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.43 KWD 1.36
$7.26 MX$135
-38.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 KWD 1.64
$7.70 MX$143
-31.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.46 KWD 2.92
$12.69 MX$237
-25.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.14 KWD 0.66
$2.78 MX$51.9
-23.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 KWD 0.50
$1.37 MX$25.50
18.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.25 KWD 0.39
$2.55 MX$47.55
-50.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.47 KWD 0.45
$2.12 MX$39.58
-30.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.36 KWD 0.42
$1.94 MX$36.13
-29.90%
Onion (1kg)
$0.82 KWD 0.25
$1.89 MX$35.16
-56.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 KWD 0.48
$1.15 MX$21.37
36.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 KWD 0.15
$1.18 MX$21.98
-57.63%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$3.23 KWD 1.00
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 KWD 0.31
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 KWD 0.44
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.71 KWD 0.84
$4.30 MX$80.1
-36.98%
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
-
🚌 Getting Around
As-salimiyah
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 KWD 0.26
$0.55 MX$10.31
52.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.79 KWD 15.03
$26.62 MX$496
83.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 KWD 1.02
$4.97 MX$92.6
-33.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.31 KWD 1.02
$3.33 MX$62.1
-0.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.94 KWD 4.91
$5.36 MX$99.8
197.39%
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 7,220
$20.7K MX$385.2K
13.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.1K KWD 6,200
$23.5K MX$437.4K
-14.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
As-salimiyah
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$32.30 KWD 9.95
$84.8 MX$1,581
-61.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.28 KWD 6.56
$23.41 MX$436
-9.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 KWD 9.29
$28.66 MX$534
5.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
As-salimiyah
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$97.8 KWD 30.14
$57.1 MX$1,063
71.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$64.0 KWD 19.70
$28.91 MX$539
121.20%
Cinema Ticket
$11.14 KWD 3.43
$5.14 MX$95.8
116.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
As-salimiyah
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 KWD 84.8
$207 MX$3,851
33.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,338 KWD 1,953
$3,927 MX$73.2K
61.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
As-salimiyah
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.80 KWD 11.34
$43.35 MX$808
-15.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.01 KWD 12.02
$41.44 MX$772
-5.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.2 KWD 27.49
$74.2 MX$1,383
20.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.7 KWD 19.93
$89.3 MX$1,664
-27.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
As-salimiyah
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$896 KWD 276
$980 MX$18.3K
-8.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 KWD 198
$381 MX$7,099
68.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,771 KWD 546
$1,708 MX$31.8K
3.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,388 KWD 428
$1,075 MX$20.0K
29.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
As-salimiyah
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,815 KWD 867
$735 MX$13.7K
283.18%
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 As-salimiyah: October 25, 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
As-salimiyah
$642
Playa del Carmen
$381 40.7% $261
Groceries & Markets
As-salimiyah
$156
Playa del Carmen
$255 63.4% $99
Eating Out
As-salimiyah
$151
Playa del Carmen
$202 34% $51
Sport & Entertainment
As-salimiyah
$120
Playa del Carmen
$67 43.9% $53
Clothing & Footwear
As-salimiyah
$103
Playa del Carmen
$112 8.1% $8.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
As-salimiyah
$84
Playa del Carmen
$137 63.5% $53
Getting Around
As-salimiyah
$72
Playa del Carmen
$50 29.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $896 in As-salimiyah 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 As-salimiyah are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in As-salimiyah versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $255 – making As-salimiyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇼 As-salimiyah
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
23:38 11:38 PM
15:38 3:38 PM
8 h behind As-salimiyah
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
147,649
149,923
💱 Currency
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • As-salimiyah Playa del Carmen 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • As-salimiyah
  • 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
As-salimiyah vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than As-salimiyah?
Yes – As-salimiyah is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,992 per month in As-salimiyah and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between As-salimiyah and Playa del Carmen?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $896 in As-salimiyah and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
What are total monthly expenses in As-salimiyah and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,328 in As-salimiyah and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 9% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 45% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough for either As-salimiyah or Playa del Carmen?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,328 in As-salimiyah and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in As-salimiyah or in Playa del Carmen?
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 $1,328 in As-salimiyah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, As-salimiyah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

As-salimiyah vs other spots: cost of living compared

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