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Cost of Living Comparison Between Karbala and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Karbala and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Karbala is 44.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 47.4% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Karbala is 28.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 57.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Karbala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.06 IQDย 6,634
$11.88 MX$210
-57.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.45 IQDย 20.3K
$41.90 MX$740
-63.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.44 IQDย 7,131
$10.55 MX$186
-48.44%
Cappuccino
$1.59 IQDย 2,081
$3.60 MX$63.5
-55.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 IQDย 515
$1.50 MX$26.45
-74.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 IQDย 364
$0.91 MX$16.09
-69.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.96 IQDย 2,568
$3.08 MX$54.4
-36.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 IQDย 3,688
$4.47 MX$78.8
-37.14%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Karbala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 IQDย 1,541
$1.39 MX$24.54
-15.83%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 IQDย 973
$1.90 MX$33.47
-61.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 IQDย 1,972
$1.60 MX$28.27
-6.25%
Eggs
$1.74 IQDย 2,285
$2.60 MX$45.97
-33.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.22 IQDย 6,847
$8.36 MX$148
-37.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.66 IQDย 6,110
$8.64 MX$152
-46.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.88 IQDย 13.0K
$10.91 MX$192
-9.44%
Apples (1kg)
$0.92 IQDย 1,205
$2.61 MX$45.98
-64.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 IQDย 1,364
$1.44 MX$25.46
-27.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.95 IQDย 1,250
$1.96 MX$34.55
-51.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.72 IQDย 941
$2.12 MX$37.34
-66.04%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 IQDย 905
$1.86 MX$32.87
-62.90%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 IQDย 716
$2.22 MX$39.20
-75.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.60 IQDย 784
$1.02 MX$17.99
-41.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 IQDย 776
$1.04 MX$18.36
-43.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.94 IQDย 2,549
$4.05 MX$71.5
-52.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.61 IQDย 15.2K
$10.18 MX$180
14.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 IQDย 1,404
$1.69 MX$29.79
-36.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 IQDย 2,741
$2.62 MX$46.25
-20.23%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Karbala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 IQDย 480
$0.51 MX$9.09
-27.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.68 IQDย 41.5K
$26.52 MX$468
19.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.27 IQDย 2,979
$3.15 MX$55.7
-27.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 IQDย 2,035
$2.46 MX$43.49
-36.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.82 IQDย 10.2K
$3.26 MX$57.5
139.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.48 IQDย 635
$1.32 MX$23.36
-63.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.5K IQDย 15.1M
$30.1K MX$531.0K
-61.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.5K IQDย 19.0M
$23.8K MX$419.3K
-38.87%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karbala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.5 IQDย 93.7K
$83.5 MX$1,474
-14.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.91 IQDย 32.7K
$22.86 MX$404
8.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.60 IQDย 65.0K
$30.04 MX$530
65.11%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Karbala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.92 IQDย 30.1K
$51.9 MX$916
-55.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.88 IQDย 22.1K
$18.30 MX$323
-7.76%
Cinema Ticket
$8.92 IQDย 11.7K
$5.12 MX$90.4
74.22%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Karbala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$124 IQDย 163.2K
$201 MX$3,541
-37.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$798 IQDย 1.0M
$5,318 MX$93.9K
-84.99%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Karbala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.01 IQDย 22.3K
$35.73 MX$631
-52.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.92 IQDย 18.2K
$40.27 MX$711
-65.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$30.65 IQDย 40.2K
$79.2 MX$1,398
-61.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$32.35 IQDย 42.4K
$89.3 MX$1,576
-63.76%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Karbala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$255 IQDย 334.5K
$947 MX$16.7K
-73.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$148 IQDย 193.6K
$483 MX$8,525
-69.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$350 IQDย 458.7K
$1,599 MX$28.2K
-78.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$248 IQDย 324.8K
$1,211 MX$21.4K
-79.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$990 IQDย 1.3M
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-75.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$328 IQDย 430.7K
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-94.87%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Karbala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$483 IQDย 633.8K
$730 MX$12.9K
-33.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.67
11.42
-50.35%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Karbala: January 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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