Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Babol and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Babol: $471 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Babol
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Babol Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Babol

🇮🇷 Iran

$471

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $471 per month in Babol vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Babol $471
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $733 per month in Babol vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Babol $733
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $994 per month in Babol vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Babol $994
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Babol is about 61% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Babol and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Babol 65% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 $2.94

$10.92 MX$204

-73.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.80 $10.80

$43.37 MX$808

-75.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.02 $4.02

$11.78 MX$220

-65.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.49 $0.49

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 $0.66

Cappuccino

$1.05 $1.05

$3.81 MX$71.0

-72.44%

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

$0.29 $0.29

$1.28 MX$23.90

-77.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.78 MX$14.59

120.51%

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)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.41 MX$26.22

-49.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.22 $0.22

$2.22 MX$41.33

-90.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.42 MX$26.42

73.94%

Eggs

$1.22 $1.22

$2.52 MX$47.03

-51.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$7.26 MX$135

-72.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$7.70 MX$143

-57.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$12.69 MX$237

-27.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.78 MX$51.9

-56.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.37 MX$25.50

2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.55 MX$47.55

-81.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.12 MX$39.58

-77.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.94 MX$36.13

-85.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.89 MX$35.16

-84.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.15 MX$21.37

-74.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.14 $0.14

$1.18 MX$21.98

-88.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 $0.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 $2.24

$4.30 MX$80.1

-47.91%

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)

$0.16 $0.16

$0.55 MX$10.31

-70.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.65 $9.65

$26.62 MX$496

-63.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 $0.51

$4.97 MX$92.6

-89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$3.33 MX$62.1

-91.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$5.36 MX$99.8

-45.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.08 $0.08

$1.44 MX$26.92

-94.44%

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

$49.2K $49.2K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

138.27%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

28.08%

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

$12.91 $12.91

$84.8 MX$1,581

-84.77%

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

$1.52 $1.52

$23.41 MX$436

-93.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.84 $3.84

$28.66 MX$534

-86.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.51 $18.51

$57.1 MX$1,063

-67.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.57 $13.57

$28.91 MX$539

-53.06%

Cinema Ticket

$1.94 $1.94

$5.14 MX$95.8

-62.26%

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

$48.02 $48.02

$207 MX$3,851

-76.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,397 $2,397

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-38.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.85 $19.85

$43.35 MX$808

-54.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.97 $14.97

$41.44 MX$772

-63.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.6 $53.6

$74.2 MX$1,383

-27.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.31 $39.31

$89.3 MX$1,664

-55.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 $289

$980 MX$18.3K

-70.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 $207

$381 MX$7,099

-45.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 $779

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-54.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 $359

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-66.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$911 $911

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-76.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$596 $596

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-90.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$130 $130

$735 MX$13.7K

-82.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.75

11.45

107.42%

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

Last update for Babol: 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

Babol

$207 44%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 83.6% $173

Groceries & Markets

Babol

$97 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 162% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Babol

$57 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 94.3% $54

Eating Out

Babol

$56 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 260% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Babol

$22 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 201% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Babol

$18 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 649% $119

Getting Around

Babol

$12 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 312% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $289 in Babol 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 Playa del Carmen are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Babol versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $97 vs $255 – making Babol the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Babol

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

16:08 4:08 PM

8 h 30 min behind Babol

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,000

149,923

💱 Currency

USD USD

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Babol Playa del Carmen 12,380 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Babol
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Monthly costs with rent: $471 in Babol, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Babol comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $707 per month in Babol 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 Babol, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $289 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Babol. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $48 per month in Babol 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 $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Babol, where all-in costs run around $471, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Babol it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Babol – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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