Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Al Kut

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $657 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
Learn more

Al Kut Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $657 in Al Kut, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Al Kut $657

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,024 in Al Kut, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Al Kut $1,024

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,391 in Al Kut, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Al Kut $1,391

Playa del Carmen costs about 83% more than Al Kut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Al Kut are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Al Kut 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$4.25 IQD 6,426

151.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$21.06 IQD 31.8K

107.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$6.29 IQD 9,511

87.44%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$2.48 IQD 3,748

52.82%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$0.35 IQD 534

271.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$0.22 IQD 333

277.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$3.36 IQD 5,072

-6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$2.60 IQD 3,934

89.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$0.99 IQD 1,499

42.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$0.73 IQD 1,108

201.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.48 IQD 2,234

-0.68%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$1.54 IQD 2,321

62.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$3.76 IQD 5,679

93.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$3.48 IQD 5,256

128.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

10.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$0.87 IQD 1,311

233.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.05 IQD 1,582

31.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$0.86 IQD 1,292

189.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$0.67 IQD 1,019

202.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$0.54 IQD 820

274.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$0.61 IQD 927

211.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$0.58 IQD 873

96.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$0.51 IQD 775

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$1.70 IQD 2,563

151.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$11.12 IQD 16.8K

-11.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.58 IQD 2,382

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$1.88 IQD 2,837

46.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$0.32 IQD 481

59.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$1.87 IQD 2,823

154.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$1.34 IQD 2,019

142.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$5.55 IQD 8,382

-2.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$0.58 IQD 871

163.79%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

26.31%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

41.50%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

-1.89%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

70.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

-3.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

52.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$9.11 IQD 13.8K

-45.12%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$146 IQD 220.6K

41.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

87.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$21.30 IQD 32.2K

103.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

87.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

20.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$37.16 IQD 56.1K

137.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$211 IQD 318.6K

371.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$138 IQD 209.0K

176.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$368 IQD 556.5K

354.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$315 IQD 476.3K

242.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$849 IQD 1.3M

360.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$488 IQD 737.0K

1158.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al Kut: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Al Kut

$138 21.1% 63.8% $244

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Al Kut

$156 23.7% 39.6% $102

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Al Kut

$107 16.3% 46.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Al Kut

$127 19.4% 5.1% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Al Kut

$64 9.7% 42.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Al Kut

$55 8.4% 17% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Al Kut

$9.8 * 1.5% 80.5% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $211 in Al Kut. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $21 in Al Kut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $156 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

18:38 6:38 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

422,793

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,697 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Al Kut 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al Kut

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 Kut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $657 in Al Kut – Al Kut comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $985 in Al Kut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $657 in Al Kut. That makes Al Kut about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $146 in Al Kut. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Al Kut, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Al Kut it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Kut – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.