Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Rumaitha: $667 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Al-Rumaitha
Learn more

Al-Rumaitha Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Iraq

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $667 in Al-Rumaitha.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Al-Rumaitha $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,037 in Al-Rumaitha.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Al-Rumaitha $1,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,407 in Al-Rumaitha.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Al-Rumaitha $1,407

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 81% more expensive than in Al-Rumaitha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Al-Rumaitha 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.94 IQD 5,948

177.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$23.49 IQD 35.5K

84.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.34 IQD 9,581

85.80%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.29 IQD 3,461

66.38%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.42 IQD 640

204.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.24 IQD 360

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.79 IQD 5,732

-16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.30 IQD 3,472

114.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.90 IQD 1,366

56.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.74 IQD 1,121

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.47 IQD 2,221

-3.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.52 IQD 2,298

65.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$3.72 IQD 5,622

95.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.65 IQD 5,513

110.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.85 IQD 17.9K

7.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$0.95 IQD 1,433

192.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$0.99 IQD 1,499

38.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$0.96 IQD 1,445

165.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.69 IQD 1,038

207.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.55 IQD 829

252.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.62 IQD 939

204.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.57 IQD 863

101.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.47 IQD 712

151.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.64 IQD 2,476

162.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.38 IQD 17.2K

-12.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.57 IQD 2,372

0.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.81 IQD 2,737

47.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.32 IQD 483

71.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.78 IQD 2,690

179.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.29 IQD 1,946

158.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$6.18 IQD 9,344

-13.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.50 IQD 748

188.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$16.2K IQD 24.4M

27.92%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

39.91%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$98.8 IQD 149.3K

-14.21%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$13.28 IQD 20.1K

76.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$31.50 IQD 47.6K

-9.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$36.25 IQD 54.8K

57.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$3.26 IQD 4,929

786.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$8.95 IQD 13.5K

-42.57%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$124 IQD 187.5K

66.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$3,090 IQD 4.7M

27.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$20.95 IQD 31.7K

106.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$22.62 IQD 34.2K

83.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$58.0 IQD 87.6K

27.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$38.10 IQD 57.6K

134.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$210 IQD 317.0K

366.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$136 IQD 205.4K

180.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$374 IQD 565.0K

356.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$309 IQD 467.0K

247.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$901 IQD 1.4M

337.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$473 IQD 714.9K

1201.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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-Rumaitha: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Al-Rumaitha

$136 20.4% 64.3% $245

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Al-Rumaitha

$156 23.5% 38.6% $98

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Al-Rumaitha

$104 15.6% 48.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Al-Rumaitha

$144 21.5% 4.9% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Al-Rumaitha

$63 9.4% 43.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Al-Rumaitha

$54 8.1% 19.6% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Al-Rumaitha

$9.5 * 1.4% 81.2% $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 $210 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Al-Rumaitha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $156 per month, with Al-Rumaitha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Al-Rumaitha

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

16:49 4:49 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

115,431

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Al-Rumaitha 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al-Rumaitha

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-Rumaitha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Rumaitha is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,000 in Al-Rumaitha 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 $210 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $124 in Al-Rumaitha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-Rumaitha – a meal for two runs $23 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $667 in Al-Rumaitha versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-Rumaitha but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Rumaitha 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.