Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bushehr

For one person, living is cheaper in Bushehr: $518 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Bushehr
Learn more

Bushehr Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bushehr

🇮🇷 Iran

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $518 in Bushehr.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bushehr $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $805 in Bushehr.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bushehr $805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,091 in Bushehr.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bushehr $1,091

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 132% more expensive than in Bushehr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bushehr 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.53 $4.53

141.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$12.80 $12.80

238.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.10 $4.10

187.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 $1.02

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.22 $1.22

212.30%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.62 $0.62

106.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.03 $1.03

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.51 $0.51

176.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.29 $0.29

665.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.81 $1.81

-21.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$0.99 $0.99

154.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$1.46 $1.46

397.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$2.94 $2.94

161.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$9.89 $9.89

28.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$0.57 $0.57

387.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.46 $1.46

-6.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$0.94 $0.94

171.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.52 $0.52

307.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.48 $0.48

304.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.29 $0.29

551.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.51 $0.51

125.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.20 $0.20

490.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.58 $0.58

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 $0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.08 $3.08

39.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.13 $0.13

323.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$9.67 $9.67

175.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$0.38 $0.38

1207.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.31 $0.31

974.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$3.53 $3.53

51.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.09 $0.09

1500.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$60.0K $60.0K

-65.55%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$48.4K $48.4K

-51.51%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$20.18 $20.18

320.17%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$1.59 $1.59

1372.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$3.97 $3.97

621.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$19.16 $19.16

197.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$13.66 $13.66

111.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$1.94 $1.94

164.95%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$50.9 $50.9

305.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$608 $608

546.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$22.67 $22.67

91.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$18.74 $18.74

121.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$96.2 $96.2

-22.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$55.5 $55.5

60.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$295 $295

232.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$208 $208

82.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$327 $327

422.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$353 $353

204.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,143 $1,143

244.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$531 $531

1059.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$282 $282

160.23%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bushehr: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bushehr

$208 40.2% 45.3% $173

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bushehr

$92 17.8% 63.7% $162

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bushehr

$70 13.5% 65.5% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bushehr

$26 5% 81.2% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bushehr

$87 16.8% 22.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bushehr

$23 4.5% 65.8% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bushehr

$12 2.3% 75.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $295 in Bushehr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $13 in Bushehr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $92 per month, with Bushehr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇷 Bushehr

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

18:00 6:00 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

223,504

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bushehr 12,890 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bushehr

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 Bushehr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bushehr wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bushehr the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $295 in Bushehr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bushehr runs roughly 64% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $51 in Bushehr. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $518 in Bushehr versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Bushehr but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bushehr 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.

Expats usually find Bushehr gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.