Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Al Kazimiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kazimiyah: $668 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Al Kazimiyah
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Al Kazimiyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Al Kazimiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Al Kazimiyah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Al Kazimiyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $668 in Al Kazimiyah.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Al Kazimiyah $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,012 in Al Kazimiyah.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Al Kazimiyah $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,356 in Al Kazimiyah.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Al Kazimiyah $1,356

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 80% more expensive than in Al Kazimiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Al Kazimiyah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.17 IQD 6,294

161.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

125.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.11 IQD 10.7K

65.68%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.19 IQD 3,313

73.97%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.37 IQD 564

245.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.20 IQD 296

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.54 IQD 5,343

-10.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.82 IQD 4,264

74.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.86 IQD 1,303

63.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.62 IQD 931

258.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.54 IQD 2,328

-7.79%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.46 IQD 2,205

72.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$4.38 IQD 6,614

65.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.58 IQD 5,402

115.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.05 IQD 19.7K

-2.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.10 IQD 1,656

152.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$0.86 IQD 1,296

59.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$0.97 IQD 1,459

162.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.62 IQD 934

241.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.59 IQD 893

228.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.65 IQD 977

190.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.62 IQD 932

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.52 IQD 792

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.46 IQD 2,207

194.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.06 IQD 18.2K

-17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.60 IQD 2,415

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.65 IQD 2,487

61.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.38 IQD 570

44.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.97 IQD 2,979

152.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.19 IQD 1,804

179.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$5.97 IQD 9,014

-10.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.64 IQD 968

125.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$18.1K IQD 27.4M

14.05%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$19.1K IQD 28.8M

23.02%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$81.9 IQD 123.8K

3.50%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$11.68 IQD 17.6K

100.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$25.31 IQD 38.2K

13.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$39.65 IQD 59.9K

43.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$8.96 IQD 13.5K

-42.63%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$152 IQD 229.6K

35.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$2,394 IQD 3.6M

64.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$22.57 IQD 34.1K

92.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$22.79 IQD 34.4K

81.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$53.3 IQD 80.6K

39.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$32.17 IQD 48.6K

177.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$234 IQD 354.1K

318.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$154 IQD 233.4K

146.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$322 IQD 486.0K

431.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$294 IQD 444.6K

265.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$984 IQD 1.5M

300.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$564 IQD 852.3K

991.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.12

177.91%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al Kazimiyah: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Al Kazimiyah

$154 23.1% 59.4% $226

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Al Kazimiyah

$162 24.2% 36.5% $93

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Al Kazimiyah

$107 16% 47.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Al Kazimiyah

$119 17.8% 13.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Al Kazimiyah

$59 8.8% 47.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Al Kazimiyah

$58 8.6% 14.5% $9.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Al Kazimiyah

$9.5 * 1.4% 81.3% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $234 in Al Kazimiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $19 in Al Kazimiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $162 per month, with Al Kazimiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Al Kazimiyah

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Al Kazimiyah 12,100 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al Kazimiyah

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

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

Al Kazimiyah is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,001 in Al Kazimiyah 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $234 in Al Kazimiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $152 in Al Kazimiyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al Kazimiyah – a meal for two runs $19 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $668 in Al Kazimiyah versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Kazimiyah but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al Kazimiyah 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.