Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Duhok

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $608 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Duhok
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Duhok Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Duhok

🇮🇶 Iraq

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $608 in Duhok.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Duhok $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $978 in Duhok.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Duhok $978

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,349 in Duhok.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Duhok $1,349

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 98% more expensive than in Duhok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Duhok 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.38 IQD 5,111

221.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$16.59 IQD 25.1K

166.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.40 IQD 11.2K

58.92%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.43 IQD 3,665

51.44%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.32 IQD 481

318.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.19 IQD 294

331.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.69 IQD 2,550

81.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.94 IQD 2,932

154.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.11 IQD 1,680

32.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.67 IQD 1,016

231.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.48 IQD 2,232

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.58 IQD 2,391

57.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$4.87 IQD 7,359

54.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.96 IQD 4,478

168.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.95 IQD 16.6K

14.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$0.99 IQD 1,489

180.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.97 IQD 1,461

47.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.75 IQD 1,136

249.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.63 IQD 959

239.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.61 IQD 919

231.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.62 IQD 940

220.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.61 IQD 926

86.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.52 IQD 787

130.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.73 IQD 2,609

146.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.97 IQD 16.6K

-8.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.40 IQD 2,121

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.79 IQD 2,700

48.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.30 IQD 459

76.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$15.64 IQD 23.6K

75.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.60 IQD 2,420

206.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.29 IQD 1,945

165.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$5.52 IQD 8,343

-2.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.54 IQD 819

168.52%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

27.33%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

34.53%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$87.3 IQD 131.8K

-2.17%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$8.86 IQD 13.4K

164.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$23.83 IQD 36.0K

19.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$50.1 IQD 75.7K

24.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$26.55 IQD 40.1K

8.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

-32.18%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$106 IQD 160.6K

89.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$2,727 IQD 4.1M

44.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$10.02 IQD 15.1K

343.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$20.32 IQD 30.7K

103.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$30.27 IQD 45.7K

140.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$19.60 IQD 29.6K

357.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$157 IQD 237.0K

524.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$116 IQD 174.7K

222.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$329 IQD 496.7K

411.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$324 IQD 489.1K

238.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$445 IQD 671.8K

788.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$362 IQD 547.1K

1594.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$415 IQD 627.4K

77.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.53

352.57%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Duhok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Duhok

$116 19% 69% $257

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Duhok

$154 25.3% 40.6% $105

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Duhok

$93 15.3% 53.7% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Duhok

$120 19.7% 12.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Duhok

$36 5.9% 67.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Duhok

$65 10.7% 10% $7.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Duhok

$25 4.1% 51.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $157 in Duhok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 78% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $17.00 in Duhok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $154 per month, with Duhok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Duhok

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

340,900

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 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 October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Duhok 11,750 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Duhok

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 Duhok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Duhok differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $608 including rent). Duhok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $157 in Duhok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $106 in Duhok. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $608 in Duhok versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Duhok but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Duhok 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Duhok are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Duhok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.