Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $652 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $652 in Basra versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Basra $652
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,179 in Basra versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Basra $1,179
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,706 in Basra versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Basra $1,706
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Basra costs roughly 46% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 52% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,134

$10.76 MX$199

-62.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

$43.03 MX$795

-39.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.42 IQD 9,706

$11.79 MX$218

-45.55%

Cappuccino

$2.21 IQD 3,342

$3.87 MX$71.4

-42.89%

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

$0.36 IQD 551

$1.37 MX$25.29

-73.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 455

$0.84 MX$15.44

-64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,849

$3.10 MX$57.3

3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,394

$5.07 MX$93.6

-29.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,460

$1.44 MX$26.55

-32.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 IQD 841

$2.23 MX$41.23

-74.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 IQD 1,895

$1.47 MX$27.17

-14.97%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,442

$2.53 MX$46.71

-35.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.28 IQD 9,486

$7.30 MX$135

-13.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 IQD 8,061

$7.86 MX$145

-32.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$12.79 MX$236

-5.24%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$2.90 MX$53.6

-68.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,787

$1.44 MX$26.53

-18.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,266

$2.55 MX$47.07

-67.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 904

$2.06 MX$38.03

-70.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$2.00 MX$36.97

-65.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 IQD 802

$2.01 MX$37.07

-73.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 IQD 1,160

$1.19 MX$22.02

-35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 546

$1.26 MX$23.23

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 IQD 2,705

$4.40 MX$81.4

-59.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

$9.59 MX$177

13.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.59 MX$29.41

-8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 IQD 2,617

$2.81 MX$51.9

-38.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 756

$0.57 MX$10.47

-12.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

$27.82 MX$514

-39.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,946

$4.98 MX$92.1

-60.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 IQD 2,930

$3.50 MX$64.6

-44.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 IQD 9,594

$5.40 MX$99.8

17.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 849

$1.47 MX$27.08

-61.90%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-44.08%

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

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-18.37%

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

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

$84.2 MX$1,556

-47.10%

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

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

$23.99 MX$443

-7.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

$29.02 MX$536

16.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-50.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

$29.14 MX$539

-59.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 IQD 9,898

$4.94 MX$91.3

32.59%

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

$109 IQD 164.7K

$204 MX$3,763

-46.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-17.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

$43.60 MX$806

-0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

$43.12 MX$797

-59.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$75.8 MX$1,400

-11.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

$88.6 MX$1,637

-59.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 IQD 617.4K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-59.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 IQD 195.6K

$374 MX$6,911

-65.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 IQD 1.1M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-56.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 IQD 814.7K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-51.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-65.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$688 IQD 1.0M

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-88.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 IQD 979.0K

$754 MX$13.9K

-14.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

11.45

-70.92%

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

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$170 26%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 52.3% $89

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$129 19.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 189% $245

Eating Out

Basra

$104 16%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 94.2% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$101 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 36.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 53.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$44 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 65.6% $29

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 72.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Basra and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $26.00 in Basra vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $258 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

15:48 3:48 PM

8 h behind Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basra Playa del Carmen 12,560 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Basra
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

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

Basra and Playa del Carmen differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($652 vs $1,210 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Playa del Carmen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $409 in Basra versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $652 in Basra versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Basra 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.

Expats usually find Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.