Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Qusayr: $639 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-Qusayr
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Al-Qusayr Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Al-Qusayr

🇸🇾 Syria

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $639 in Al-Qusayr.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Al-Qusayr $639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,013 in Al-Qusayr.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Al-Qusayr $1,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,387 in Al-Qusayr.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Al-Qusayr $1,387

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 88% more expensive than in Al-Qusayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Al-Qusayr 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$9.94 SYP 1,207

9.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$42.77 SYP 5,196

1.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.07 SYP 859

66.62%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.65 SYP 443

4.38%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.23 SYP 271

-42.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.82 SYP 100

-4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.92 SYP 233

65.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.96 SYP 481

24.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.06 SYP 129

33.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.38 SYP 46.66

484.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.56 SYP 189

-8.97%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.58 SYP 192

59.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$3.98 SYP 484

82.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.65 SYP 686

36.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$13.63 SYP 1,656

-6.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.06 SYP 129

162.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.42 SYP 172

-3.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.10 SYP 134

131.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.02 SYP 124

107.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.78 SYP 95.0

148.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.80 SYP 96.9

136.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.40 SYP 49.14

187.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.67 SYP 81.4

76.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.78 SYP 338

54.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$5.89 SYP 716

68.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.09 SYP 132

44.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.81 SYP 342

-4.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.98 SYP 119

407.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.49 SYP 182

123.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.58 SYP 921

-29.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$3.64 SYP 442

-60.44%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$14.9K SYP 1.8M

39.10%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

23.78%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$140 SYP 17.0K

-39.27%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$9.37 SYP 1,139

149.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$45.36 SYP 5,512

-36.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$5.44 SYP 660

-5.51%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$67.0 SYP 8,141

208.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$1,813 SYP 220.3K

116.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$28.15 SYP 3,420

54.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$39.38 SYP 4,785

5.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$60.7 SYP 7,377

22.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$57.8 SYP 7,026

54.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.25

-19.65%

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-Qusayr: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Al-Qusayr

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Al-Qusayr

$168 26.3% 34.1% $87

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Al-Qusayr

$174 27.2% 13.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Al-Qusayr

$194 30.4% 42% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Al-Qusayr

$84 13.1% 25% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Al-Qusayr

$11 * 1.7% 83.9% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Al-Qusayr

$8.5 * 1.3% 83.3% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $43 in Al-Qusayr. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $168, with Al-Qusayr cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇾 Al-Qusayr

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

02:48 2:48 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

29,818

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 135 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.39 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Al-Qusayr 11,470 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al-Qusayr

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-Qusayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Qusayr is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $959 in Al-Qusayr 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $67 in Al-Qusayr. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $639 in Al-Qusayr versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-Qusayr but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Qusayr 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.