Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Al Kufah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kufah: $703 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
Learn more

Al Kufah Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Kufah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $703 in Al Kufah.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Al Kufah $703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,050 in Al Kufah.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Al Kufah $1,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,397 in Al Kufah.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Al Kufah $1,397

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 71% more expensive than in Al Kufah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Al Kufah 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.74 IQD 7,162

130.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$25.90 IQD 39.1K

67.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.63 IQD 10.0K

77.68%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.82 IQD 4,258

35.11%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.38 IQD 579

236.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.20 IQD 302

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.21 IQD 4,844

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.24 IQD 4,897

52.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.96 IQD 1,451

46.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.69 IQD 1,041

221.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.32 IQD 1,989

7.58%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.70 IQD 2,574

48.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$2.02 IQD 3,046

259.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.99 IQD 6,032

92.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.85 IQD 11.9K

61.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$0.63 IQD 954

341.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.96 IQD 1,449

42.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$0.56 IQD 848

355.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.49 IQD 736

332.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.43 IQD 650

351.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.33 IQD 499

472.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.19 IQD 284

505.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.51 IQD 776

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$1.53 IQD 2,319

181.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

-14.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.00 IQD 3,017

-21.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.97 IQD 2,972

35.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.32 IQD 480

71.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.95 IQD 2,954

154.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.34 IQD 2,031

148.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$6.52 IQD 9,849

-17.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.49 IQD 733

193.88%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

24.83%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

39.70%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$188 IQD 283.3K

-54.78%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$19.15 IQD 28.9K

22.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$19.76 IQD 29.9K

45.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$15.05 IQD 22.7K

279.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

-46.68%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$69.3 IQD 104.8K

197.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$2,161 IQD 3.3M

81.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$10.13 IQD 15.3K

327.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$29.46 IQD 44.5K

40.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$20.07 IQD 30.3K

269.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$34.57 IQD 52.2K

158.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$208 IQD 313.5K

372.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$135 IQD 204.6K

181.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$371 IQD 561.3K

359.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$309 IQD 466.6K

248.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,244 IQD 1.9M

217.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$495 IQD 748.2K

1143.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$902 IQD 1.4M

-18.61%

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 Kufah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Al Kufah

$135 19.3% 64.4% $245

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Al Kufah

$138 19.6% 46% $117

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Al Kufah

$116 16.6% 42.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Al Kufah

$226 32.2% 65.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Al Kufah

$42 6% 62% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Al Kufah

$34 4.9% 49% $33

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Al Kufah

$10 * 1.4% 80.3% $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 $208 in Al Kufah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Kufah pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $26 in Al Kufah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $138 per month, with Al Kufah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

05:11 5:11 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

230,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Al Kufah 12,210 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al Kufah

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 Kufah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Kufah is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $208 in Al Kufah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $703 in Al Kufah – Al Kufah is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $703 in Al Kufah versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Kufah but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al Kufah 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.