Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusail and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusail: $753 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Lusail
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Lusail Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Lusail

🇶🇦 Qatar

$753

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $753 per month in Lusail vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lusail $753
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,277 per month in Lusail vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lusail $1,277
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,800 per month in Lusail vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lusail $1,800
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Lusail is about 37% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lusail and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Lusail 44% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.19 QAR 29.81

$10.67 MX$199

-23.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 QAR 252

$43.80 MX$815

57.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 QAR 30.46

$11.79 MX$219

-29.01%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.11 QAR 29.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.60 QAR 34.93

Cappuccino

$5.50 QAR 20.00

$3.79 MX$70.5

45.12%

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

$0.79 QAR 2.86

$1.30 MX$24.14

-39.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 QAR 1.03

$0.83 MX$15.51

-66.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 QAR 7.64

$1.41 MX$26.22

48.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 QAR 4.99

$2.20 MX$40.86

-37.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 QAR 5.02

$1.47 MX$27.40

-6.12%

Eggs

$3.22 QAR 11.73

$2.50 MX$46.47

28.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 QAR 41.12

$7.29 MX$136

55.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 QAR 30.77

$7.95 MX$148

6.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.51 QAR 41.88

$12.86 MX$239

-10.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 QAR 8.22

$2.90 MX$53.9

-22.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 QAR 6.44

$1.38 MX$25.74

28.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 QAR 5.95

$2.49 MX$46.36

-34.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 QAR 1.91

$2.03 MX$37.78

-74.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 QAR 1.90

$2.02 MX$37.69

-74.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 QAR 1.92

$1.90 MX$35.42

-72.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 QAR 5.26

$1.14 MX$21.30

26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 QAR 1.84

$1.24 MX$23.06

-59.68%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.80 QAR 35.68

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 QAR 7.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 QAR 8.30

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.67 QAR 24.26

$4.27 MX$79.5

56.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 QAR 7.12

$4.76 MX$88.6

-58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 QAR 6.84

$3.25 MX$60.5

-42.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.81 QAR 50.3

$5.39 MX$100

156.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 QAR 2.13

$1.53 MX$28.44

-61.44%

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

$24.1K QAR 87.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

13.62%

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

$21.6K QAR 78.6K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

-7.16%

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

$90.5 QAR 330

$83.5 MX$1,554

8.43%

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

$34.47 QAR 125

$23.19 MX$431

48.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 QAR 324

$27.61 MX$514

222.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 QAR 44.78

$5.00 MX$93.1

146.00%

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

$732 QAR 2,665

$207 MX$3,854

253.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K QAR 61.3K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

221.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 QAR 228

$43.45 MX$809

44.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.66 QAR 177

$42.54 MX$792

14.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 QAR 357

$72.8 MX$1,354

34.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.2 QAR 310

$88.4 MX$1,645

-3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 QAR 4,969

$832 MX$15.5K

64.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

11.45

-48.30%

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

Last update for Lusail: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lusail

$214 28.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 37.2% $80

Groceries & Markets

Lusail

$209 27.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 23% $48

Eating Out

Lusail

$161 21.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 24.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lusail

$133 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 16.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lusail

$25 * 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 170% $42

Getting Around

Lusail

$11 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 344% $39

Accommodation & Living

Lusail

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 64% higher in Lusail, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Lusail versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $209 in Lusail vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Lusail wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Lusail

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

23:06 11:06 PM

8 h behind Lusail

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,600

149,923

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.244 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 QAR (1 QAR = 0.244 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lusail Playa del Carmen 13,220 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Lusail
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $753 in Lusail, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Lusail comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,129 per month in Lusail and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Lusail and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lusail, where all-in costs run around $753, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Lusail it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lusail costs $753 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.