Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Birjand

For one person, living is cheaper in Birjand: $531 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Birjand
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Birjand Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Birjand

🇮🇷 Iran

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Birjand

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $531 in Birjand, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Birjand $531

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $842 in Birjand, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Birjand $842

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,154 in Birjand, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Birjand $1,154

Playa del Carmen costs about 126% more than Birjand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Birjand are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Birjand 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$2.96 $2.96

260.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$15.89 $15.89

175.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$3.89 $3.89

203.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 $0.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.10 $1.10

244.55%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.52 $0.52

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$1.02 $1.02

-18.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$0.65 $0.65

116.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$0.51 $0.51

331.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$2.08 $2.08

-29.33%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.20 $1.20

108.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$4.36 $4.36

67.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$3.33 $3.33

138.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$10.18 $10.18

26.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.03 $1.03

181.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.63 $1.63

-15.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$0.82 $0.82

203.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$0.60 $0.60

238.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$0.55 $0.55

267.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$0.51 $0.51

272.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.57 $0.57

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.24 $0.24

416.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.81 $0.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 $1.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.46 $2.46

73.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.17 $0.17

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$9.63 $9.63

184.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.42 $0.42

1033.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.29 $0.29

1020.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$2.67 $2.67

101.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$0.08 $0.08

1812.50%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$50.1K $50.1K

-57.64%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$46.2K $46.2K

-49.67%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$13.20 $13.20

532.50%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$1.52 $1.52

1425.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$4.02 $4.02

586.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$18.86 $18.86

199.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$13.64 $13.64

106.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$2.03 $2.03

146.31%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$106 $106

95.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$2,419 $2,419

116.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$23.11 $23.11

88.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$27.81 $27.81

52.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$97.7 $97.7

-25.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$72.0 $72.0

22.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$296 $296

236.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$209 $209

82.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$783 $783

113.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$361 $361

199.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,165 $1,165

235.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$537 $537

1042.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

24.3

-52.88%

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 Birjand: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Birjand

$209 39.4% 45.3% $173

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Birjand

$114 21.5% 55.7% $143

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Birjand

$55 10.3% 72.7% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Birjand

$19 3.5% 86.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Birjand

$99 18.7% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Birjand

$23 4.3% 65.5% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Birjand

$12 2.3% 75.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $296 in Birjand. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Birjand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $114 – making Birjand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇷 Birjand

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

203,636

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Birjand 13,070 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Birjand

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 Birjand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $531 in Birjand – Birjand comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $796 in Birjand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birjand, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $296 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 126% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $16 in Birjand. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Birjand, where all-in costs run around $531, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Birjand it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Birjand – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Birjand is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 56% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.