Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ar-rawdah

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,418 in Ar-rawdah, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ar-rawdah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rawdah
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Ar-rawdah Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ar-rawdah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ar-rawdah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,418 in Ar-rawdah.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ar-rawdah $1,418

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,339 in Ar-rawdah.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ar-rawdah $2,339

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,260 in Ar-rawdah.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ar-rawdah $3,260

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 15% less than in Ar-rawdah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Ar-rawdah is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$12.71 KWD 3.92

-14.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$64.8 KWD 19.98

-33.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.04 KWD 2.78

30.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 KWD 0.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 KWD 1.52

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$5.06 KWD 1.56

-24.70%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$0.74 KWD 0.23

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.31 KWD 0.10

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.57 KWD 0.48

-10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.47 KWD 0.45

51.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.99 KWD 0.61

-28.64%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.11 KWD 0.65

19.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$4.38 KWD 1.35

65.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.72 KWD 2.07

14.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$10.38 KWD 3.20

22.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.48 KWD 0.76

12.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.92 KWD 0.59

-28.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.87 KWD 0.58

36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.55 KWD 0.48

36.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.32 KWD 0.41

46.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.44 KWD 0.44

31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$2.29 KWD 0.71

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.57 KWD 0.18

107.02%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$2.70 KWD 0.83

59.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.71 KWD 0.22

-22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$4.85 KWD 1.49

2.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$3.18 KWD 0.98

4.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$16.40 KWD 5.05

-67.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$0.35 KWD 0.11

311.43%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$23.6K KWD 7,284

-12.57%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$19.8K KWD 6,088

18.80%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$66.6 KWD 20.52

27.35%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$22.11 KWD 6.81

5.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$29.76 KWD 9.17

-3.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$108 KWD 33.25

-47.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$12.82 KWD 3.95

-59.91%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$505 KWD 156

-59.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$9,226 KWD 2,843

-57.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$38.22 KWD 11.78

13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$39.68 KWD 12.23

4.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$96.8 KWD 29.84

-23.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$89.4 KWD 27.55

-0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$795 KWD 245

23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$643 KWD 198

-40.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,611 KWD 496

6.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$1,361 KWD 419

-20.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$1,605 KWD 495

283.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.53

75.34%

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 Ar-rawdah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ar-rawdah

$643 45.4% 68.8% $262

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ar-rawdah

$187 13.2% 26.7% $68

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ar-rawdah

$194 13.7% 4.3% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ar-rawdah

$118 8.4% 13.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ar-rawdah

$119 8.4% 6.4% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ar-rawdah

$134 9.4% 98.4% $66

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ar-rawdah

$24 * 1.7% 53.2% $27

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 $795 in Ar-rawdah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $65 in Ar-rawdah. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $187, with Ar-rawdah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇼 Ar-rawdah

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

20:36 8:36 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ar-rawdah 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ar-rawdah

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 Ar-rawdah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Ar-rawdah. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $2,127 in Ar-rawdah 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 $795 in Ar-rawdah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Ar-rawdah pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,418 in Ar-rawdah – Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.