Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Az-zabadani

For one person, living is cheaper in Az-zabadani: $643 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

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

Cost of Living Index in Az-zabadani
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Az-zabadani Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Az-zabadani

🇸🇾 Syria

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Az-zabadani

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $643 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Az-zabadani $643

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,016 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Az-zabadani $1,016

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,390 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Az-zabadani $1,390

Playa del Carmen costs about 87% more than Az-zabadani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Az-zabadani are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Az-zabadani 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$9.98 SYP 1,212

6.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$42.01 SYP 5,105

4.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.91 SYP 840

70.62%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.82 SYP 464

-0.79%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.20 SYP 267

-40.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.82 SYP 99.4

1.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.96 SYP 238

60.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.04 SYP 491

22.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.02 SYP 124

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.45 SYP 54.7

388.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.53 SYP 186

-3.92%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.58 SYP 192

58.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$3.98 SYP 483

83.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.68 SYP 690

39.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.52 SYP 1,643

-4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.07 SYP 130

171.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.41 SYP 171

-2.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.14 SYP 139

118.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.06 SYP 129

91.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.74 SYP 90.3

172.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.76 SYP 92.0

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.40 SYP 48.57

185.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.66 SYP 80.0

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.69 SYP 327

58.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$4.93 SYP 599

98.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.14 SYP 139

39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.80 SYP 340

-1.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.97 SYP 118

390.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.54 SYP 187

111.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$7.74 SYP 940

-30.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$3.70 SYP 450

-58.65%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

40.42%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$18.9K SYP 2.3M

23.05%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$140 SYP 17.0K

-40.23%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$9.83 SYP 1,194

135.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$46.53 SYP 5,654

-40.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$5.36 SYP 651

-6.72%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$65.9 SYP 8,004

214.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$1,782 SYP 216.6K

193.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$29.00 SYP 3,524

49.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$40.16 SYP 4,880

5.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$61.0 SYP 7,407

19.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$58.4 SYP 7,096

51.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Az-zabadani: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Az-zabadani

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Az-zabadani

$166 25.9% 35.5% $91

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Az-zabadani

$176 27.4% 12% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Az-zabadani

$196 30.5% 46% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Az-zabadani

$85 13.2% 23.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Az-zabadani

$11 * 1.7% 83.9% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Az-zabadani

$8.7 * 1.4% 82.8% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $42 in Az-zabadani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $166 – making Az-zabadani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇾 Az-zabadani

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

13:18 1:18 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

26,285

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Az-zabadani 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Az-zabadani

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 Az-zabadani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 87% more than Az-zabadani, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $964 in Az-zabadani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $42 in Az-zabadani. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Az-zabadani, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Az-zabadani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $643 in Az-zabadani to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.