Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Al-mawsil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $597 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
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Al-mawsil Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $597 in Al-mawsil.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Al-mawsil $597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $906 in Al-mawsil.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Al-mawsil $906

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,214 in Al-mawsil.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Al-mawsil $1,214

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 101% more expensive than in Al-mawsil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Al-mawsil 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$4.17 IQD 6,296

155.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$10.66 IQD 16.1K

310.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$4.81 IQD 7,265

145.11%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$0.68 IQD 1,029

457.35%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.32 IQD 482

306.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.18 IQD 265

361.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$0.81 IQD 1,224

288.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.34 IQD 2,029

267.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.69 IQD 1,037

104.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.65 IQD 976

238.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.58 IQD 872

153.45%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$0.95 IQD 1,435

163.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.22 IQD 10.9K

0.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$2.99 IQD 4,522

165.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.89 IQD 11.9K

62.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$0.68 IQD 1,031

326.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.68 IQD 1,033

102.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$0.49 IQD 738

408.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$0.24 IQD 364

745.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.27 IQD 410

648.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.32 IQD 482

493.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.60 IQD 911

90.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.52 IQD 779

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$1.61 IQD 2,425

165.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

-9.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.48 IQD 2,237

7.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.86 IQD 2,810

47.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.35 IQD 523

45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$25.92 IQD 39.2K

5.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.67 IQD 2,521

185.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.55 IQD 2,349

109.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$3.98 IQD 6,008

35.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.29 IQD 432

427.59%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$13.4K IQD 20.2M

58.89%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$15.4K IQD 23.3M

50.66%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$90.9 IQD 137.3K

-8.12%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

91.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

19.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

52.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

320.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.54 IQD 9,880

-23.55%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$295 IQD 445.5K

-29.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$589 IQD 889.3K

788.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$16.58 IQD 25.1K

162.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$13.00 IQD 19.6K

227.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

22.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$16.06 IQD 24.3K

450.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$212 IQD 319.8K

370.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$139 IQD 210.0K

175.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$374 IQD 564.8K

347.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$314 IQD 475.0K

243.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$868 IQD 1.3M

350.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$491 IQD 741.2K

1151.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$522 IQD 788.5K

59.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.53

352.57%

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-mawsil: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Al-mawsil

$139 23.3% 63.7% $243

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Al-mawsil

$133 22.3% 48.3% $124

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Al-mawsil

$65 10.8% 67.7% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Al-mawsil

$126 21.1% 6% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Al-mawsil

$47 7.9% 57.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4% 24.7% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Al-mawsil

$37 6.2% 27.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $212 in Al-mawsil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $11 in Al-mawsil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $133 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

10:36 10:36 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,683,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Al-mawsil 11,800 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al-mawsil

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-mawsil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-mawsil is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $212 in Al-mawsil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $295 in Al-mawsil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $597 in Al-mawsil versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil 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.

Expats usually find Al-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.