Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duma and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Duma: $641 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Duma
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Duma Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Duma

🇸🇾 Syria

$641

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Duma versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Duma $641
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,014 in Duma versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Duma $1,014
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,387 in Duma versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Duma $1,387
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Duma costs roughly 47% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Duma 53% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.07 SYP 1,223

$10.92 MX$205

-7.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.95 SYP 5,098

$43.37 MX$814

-3.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 SYP 863

$11.78 MX$221

-39.73%

Cappuccino

$3.62 SYP 440

$3.81 MX$71.5

-4.99%

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

$2.22 SYP 270

$1.28 MX$24.07

73.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 SYP 106

$0.78 MX$14.70

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 SYP 226

$3.17 MX$59.5

-41.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 SYP 498

$4.93 MX$92.7

-16.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 SYP 127

$1.41 MX$26.40

-25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 SYP 46.86

$2.22 MX$41.62

-82.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 SYP 182

$1.42 MX$26.61

5.63%

Eggs

$1.58 SYP 192

$2.52 MX$47.36

-37.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.00 SYP 486

$7.26 MX$136

-44.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 SYP 696

$7.70 MX$144

-25.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.82 SYP 1,679

$12.69 MX$238

8.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 SYP 125

$2.78 MX$52.3

-62.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 SYP 164

$1.37 MX$25.68

-1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 SYP 134

$2.55 MX$47.89

-56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 SYP 130

$2.12 MX$39.86

-49.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 SYP 95.3

$1.94 MX$36.39

-59.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 SYP 97.6

$1.89 MX$35.41

-57.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 SYP 49.04

$1.15 MX$21.53

-65.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 SYP 80.6

$1.18 MX$22.13

-44.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 SYP 330

$4.30 MX$80.6

-36.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 SYP 741

$9.95 MX$187

-38.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 SYP 129

$1.58 MX$29.73

-32.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 SYP 358

$2.67 MX$50.1

10.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SYP 124

$4.97 MX$93.3

-79.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 SYP 189

$3.33 MX$62.5

-53.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.86 SYP 955

$5.36 MX$101

46.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.64 SYP 443

$1.44 MX$27.11

152.78%

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

$15.2K SYP 1.8M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

-26.48%

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

$19.4K SYP 2.4M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-17.42%

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

$138 SYP 16.8K

$84.8 MX$1,592

62.60%

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

$9.80 SYP 1,191

$23.41 MX$439

-58.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.05 SYP 5,596

$28.66 MX$538

60.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.58 SYP 678

$5.14 MX$96.5

8.56%

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

$67.0 SYP 8,144

$207 MX$3,878

-67.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,762 SYP 214.1K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-55.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.82 SYP 3,502

$43.35 MX$814

-33.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.14 SYP 4,878

$41.44 MX$778

-3.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 SYP 7,175

$74.2 MX$1,393

-20.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.4 SYP 6,970

$89.3 MX$1,676

-35.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Duma: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duma

$194 30.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 29.4% $57

Eating Out

Duma

$175 27.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 15.5% $27

Groceries & Markets

Duma

$169 26.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 51.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Duma

$83 13%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 33.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Duma

$11 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 503% $56

Getting Around

Duma

$8.8 * 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 473% $42

Accommodation & Living

Duma

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42 in Duma vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $255 per month, with Duma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Duma

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

07:43 7:43 AM

8 h behind Duma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,893

149,923

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Duma Playa del Carmen 11,520 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Duma
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

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

Duma wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Duma the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $961 in Duma and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you’ll spend $641 per month in Duma versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Duma is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $641 in Duma versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Duma but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Duma 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.