Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Az Zubayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $656 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Az Zubayr
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Az Zubayr Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $656 in Az Zubayr.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Az Zubayr $656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,021 in Az Zubayr.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Az Zubayr $1,021

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

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Az Zubayr $1,387

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 84% more expensive than in Az Zubayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Az Zubayr 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.37 IQD 6,602

149.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$19.52 IQD 29.5K

122.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.58 IQD 8,436

111.11%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.65 IQD 4,001

43.77%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.33 IQD 497

287.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.20 IQD 297

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.38 IQD 5,107

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.28 IQD 3,447

116.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.00 IQD 1,513

41.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.76 IQD 1,152

192.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.59 IQD 2,399

-10.69%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.46 IQD 2,203

72.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$4.38 IQD 6,621

65.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.43 IQD 5,189

124.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

4.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.07 IQD 1,623

159.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$0.99 IQD 1,502

38.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.03 IQD 1,561

147.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.66 IQD 994

221.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.57 IQD 855

240.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.67 IQD 1,012

182.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.56 IQD 852

105.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.44 IQD 671

168.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.47 IQD 2,225

192.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.27 IQD 17.0K

-11.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.42 IQD 2,149

11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.62 IQD 2,450

64.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.32 IQD 479

71.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.68 IQD 2,543

195.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.12 IQD 1,698

197.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$5.39 IQD 8,146

-0.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.53 IQD 803

171.70%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$15.9K IQD 24.0M

30.23%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

42.48%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$94.9 IQD 143.4K

-10.63%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$11.70 IQD 17.7K

100.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$27.28 IQD 41.2K

5.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$39.31 IQD 59.4K

45.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$7.83 IQD 11.8K

-34.36%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$137 IQD 206.7K

50.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$2,772 IQD 4.2M

41.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$18.27 IQD 27.6K

137.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$21.75 IQD 32.9K

90.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$53.7 IQD 81.2K

38.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

127.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$200 IQD 302.7K

388.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$133 IQD 200.3K

187.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$418 IQD 631.5K

308.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$315 IQD 476.0K

241.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$833 IQD 1.3M

373.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$479 IQD 723.6K

1185.75%

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 Az Zubayr: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Az Zubayr

$133 20.2% 65.2% $248

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Az Zubayr

$159 24.2% 37.7% $96

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Az Zubayr

$107 16.3% 47.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Az Zubayr

$134 20.4% 2.2% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Az Zubayr

$60 9.1% 46.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Az Zubayr

$55 8.4% 18.3% $12

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Az Zubayr

$8.6 * 1.3% 83% $42

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 $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $20 in Az Zubayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $159 per month, with Az Zubayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

04:09 4:09 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

370,000

💱 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 November 2, 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 November 2, 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Az Zubayr 12,560 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Az Zubayr

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 Zubayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $656 in Az Zubayr, so Az Zubayr is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $983 in Az Zubayr 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 $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $656 in Az Zubayr – Az Zubayr is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $656 in Az Zubayr versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Az Zubayr but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Az Zubayr 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.