Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-miqdadiyah: $767 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Al-miqdadiyah
Learn more

Al-miqdadiyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $767 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Al-miqdadiyah $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,190 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Al-miqdadiyah $1,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,614 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Al-miqdadiyah $1,614

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 57% more expensive than in Al-miqdadiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Al-miqdadiyah 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$4.02 IQD 6,077

171.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$36.99 IQD 55.9K

17.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.47 IQD 11.3K

57.70%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.25 IQD 4,907

17.23%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.82 IQD 1,244

56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.33 IQD 503

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.70 IQD 8,620

-44.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.85 IQD 5,822

28.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.11 IQD 1,671

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.69 IQD 1,037

221.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.46 IQD 2,204

-2.74%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.59 IQD 2,401

58.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

0.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.22 IQD 6,384

82.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$12.98 IQD 19.6K

-2.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$0.97 IQD 1,463

186.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.00 IQD 1,506

37.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.02 IQD 1,539

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.71 IQD 1,070

198.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.65 IQD 983

198.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.62 IQD 943

204.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.60 IQD 905

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.49 IQD 740

140.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.12 IQD 3,207

102.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.55 IQD 15.9K

-5.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.41 IQD 2,126

12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.85 IQD 2,800

44.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.29 IQD 440

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.68 IQD 2,540

195.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.61 IQD 2,427

106.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$5.44 IQD 8,223

-1.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.57 IQD 866

152.63%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

23.26%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$16.9K IQD 25.6M

38.47%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$114 IQD 172.8K

-25.84%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$12.20 IQD 18.4K

91.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$23.98 IQD 36.2K

19.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

47.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

-48.50%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$291 IQD 440.3K

-29.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$2,756 IQD 4.2M

42.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$27.15 IQD 41.0K

59.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

6.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

25.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$59.5 IQD 90.0K

49.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$204 IQD 308.7K

379.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$156 IQD 235.3K

144.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$341 IQD 515.6K

400.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$291 IQD 439.2K

269.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$921 IQD 1.4M

328.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$518 IQD 782.9K

1088.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al-miqdadiyah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Al-miqdadiyah

$156 20.3% 59.1% $225

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Al-miqdadiyah

$173 22.6% 31.9% $81

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Al-miqdadiyah

$134 17.5% 33.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Al-miqdadiyah

$151 19.6% 10% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Al-miqdadiyah

$83 10.8% 25.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Al-miqdadiyah

$59 7.7% 12.8% $8.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Al-miqdadiyah

$11 * 1.4% 78.4% $40

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 $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $37 in Al-miqdadiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $174 per month, with Al-miqdadiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Al-miqdadiyah

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

01:29 1:29 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

155,968

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al-miqdadiyah

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-miqdadiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $767 in Al-miqdadiyah, so Al-miqdadiyah is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,150 in Al-miqdadiyah 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 $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% 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 $767 in Al-miqdadiyah – Al-miqdadiyah is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $767 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Al-miqdadiyah but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al-miqdadiyah 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.