Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-musayyib: $768 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
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Al-musayyib
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Al-musayyib Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $768 in Al-musayyib.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Al-musayyib $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,152 in Al-musayyib.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Al-musayyib $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,536 in Al-musayyib.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Al-musayyib $1,536

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$4.50 IQD 6,793

142.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$25.91 IQD 39.1K

67.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.43 IQD 9,721

83.20%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.82 IQD 4,267

35.11%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.38 IQD 576

236.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.22 IQD 332

254.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.33 IQD 5,026

-4.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.25 IQD 4,904

51.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.90 IQD 1,359

56.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.67 IQD 1,019

231.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.30 IQD 1,971

9.23%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.29 IQD 1,951

95.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$3.42 IQD 5,163

112.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.28 IQD 4,962

134.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

26.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.02 IQD 1,540

172.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.90 IQD 1,357

52.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.94 IQD 1,415

171.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.48 IQD 721

341.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.54 IQD 817

259.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.48 IQD 732

293.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.48 IQD 730

139.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.34 IQD 518

247.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$1.68 IQD 2,531

155.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.98 IQD 18.1K

-16.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.89 IQD 2,862

-16.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.87 IQD 2,831

42.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.32 IQD 480

71.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.01 IQD 3,043

147.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.30 IQD 1,961

156.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

-20.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.55 IQD 825

161.82%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

25.03%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

41.92%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$187 IQD 282.9K

-54.71%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

18.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$38.37 IQD 58.0K

-25.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$33.70 IQD 50.9K

69.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

-49.56%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$146 IQD 220.6K

41.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$3,199 IQD 4.8M

22.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$25.73 IQD 38.9K

68.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$33.53 IQD 50.7K

23.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

25.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$41.11 IQD 62.1K

117.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$206 IQD 311.9K

374.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$127 IQD 192.6K

198.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$321 IQD 485.3K

431.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$308 IQD 465.5K

248.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$974 IQD 1.5M

304.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$537 IQD 811.4K

1046.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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-musayyib: 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-musayyib

$127 16.6% 66.5% $253

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Al-musayyib

$145 18.9% 43% $109

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Al-musayyib

$115 14.9% 43.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Al-musayyib

$245 31.9% 79.3% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Al-musayyib

$72 9.3% 35.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Al-musayyib

$54 7% 19.7% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Al-musayyib

$9.8 * 1.3% 80.6% $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 $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $26 in Al-musayyib for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $145 per month, with Al-musayyib cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

02:09 2:09 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

279,939

💱 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-musayyib 12,150 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al-musayyib

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-musayyib: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $768 in Al-musayyib, so Al-musayyib 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 $1,153 in Al-musayyib 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 $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $146 in Al-musayyib. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-musayyib – a meal for two runs $26 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $768 in Al-musayyib versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Al-musayyib but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al-musayyib 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.