Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ba'qubah Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ba'qubah

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 102.8% more expensive than Ba'qubah without rent, and 95.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 94.5% more expensive than Ba'qubah without rent, and 129.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ba'qubah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$5.00 IQD 6,543
137.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$15.42 IQD 20.2K
173.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$6.32 IQD 8,266
70.09%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$1.17 IQD 1,529
196.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.52 IQD 675
178.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.20 IQD 264
350.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$1.89 IQD 2,476
61.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$2.11 IQD 2,765
109.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ba'qubah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.16 IQD 1,520
18.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$0.60 IQD 782
211.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.12 IQD 1,462
37.50%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$1.48 IQD 1,936
68.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$2.36 IQD 3,083
264.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$2.46 IQD 3,221
250.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$10.60 IQD 13.9K
3.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$0.99 IQD 1,299
177.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.17 IQD 1,537
22.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$0.99 IQD 1,290
88.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$0.60 IQD 782
261.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$0.55 IQD 715
241.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$0.65 IQD 851
246.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.50 IQD 653
114.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.17 IQD 216
529.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$2.73 IQD 3,573
52.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$12.25 IQD 16.0K
-15.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.39 IQD 1,813
20.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$1.96 IQD 2,558
26.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ba'qubah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.39 IQD 516
41.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$30.99 IQD 40.5K
-14.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$2.36 IQD 3,084
36.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$2.10 IQD 2,749
18.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$5.28 IQD 6,907
-41.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$0.33 IQD 431
281.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$18.9K IQD 24.7M
62.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$20.7K IQD 27.1M
16.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ba'qubah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$59.4 IQD 77.7K
38.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$17.94 IQD 23.5K
24.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$26.83 IQD 35.1K
11.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ba'qubah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$19.22 IQD 25.2K
167.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$16.76 IQD 21.9K
9.13%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$3.73 IQD 4,884
33.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ba'qubah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$26.94 IQD 35.2K
642.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$632 IQD 826.7K
739.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ba'qubah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$18.83 IQD 24.6K
89.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$19.23 IQD 25.2K
105.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$82.2 IQD 107.5K
-1.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$26.51 IQD 34.7K
233.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ba'qubah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$244 IQD 318.9K
297.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$182 IQD 238.0K
165.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$569 IQD 744.4K
180.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$347 IQD 454.4K
240.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$769 IQD 1.0M
426.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$192 IQD 251.3K
3295.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ba'qubah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$716 IQD 936.5K
5.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.67
101.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Ba'qubah: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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