Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Duma

For one person, living is cheaper in Duma: $641 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Duma
Learn more

Duma Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Duma

🇸🇾 Syria

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $641 in Duma.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Duma $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,014 in Duma.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Duma $1,014

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

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Duma $1,387

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 88% more expensive than in Duma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Duma 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$10.07 SYP 1,223

8.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$41.95 SYP 5,098

3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.10 SYP 863

65.92%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.62 SYP 440

5.25%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.22 SYP 270

-42.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.87 SYP 106

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.86 SYP 226

70.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.10 SYP 498

20.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.05 SYP 127

34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.39 SYP 46.86

469.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.50 SYP 182

-5.33%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.58 SYP 192

59.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$4.00 SYP 486

81.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$5.72 SYP 696

34.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.82 SYP 1,679

-8.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.03 SYP 125

169.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.35 SYP 164

1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.10 SYP 134

131.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.07 SYP 130

98.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.78 SYP 95.3

148.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.80 SYP 97.6

136.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.40 SYP 49.04

187.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.66 SYP 80.6

78.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$2.72 SYP 330

58.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.10 SYP 741

63.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.06 SYP 129

49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.94 SYP 358

-9.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.02 SYP 124

387.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.56 SYP 189

113.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$7.86 SYP 955

-31.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$3.64 SYP 443

-60.44%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$15.2K SYP 1.8M

36.01%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$19.4K SYP 2.4M

21.10%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$138 SYP 16.8K

-38.50%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$9.80 SYP 1,191

138.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$46.05 SYP 5,596

-37.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$5.58 SYP 678

-7.89%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$67.0 SYP 8,144

208.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$1,762 SYP 214.1K

122.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$28.82 SYP 3,502

50.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$40.14 SYP 4,878

3.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$59.0 SYP 7,175

25.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$57.4 SYP 6,970

55.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.25

-19.65%

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 Duma: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Duma

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Duma

$169 26.3% 33.8% $86

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Duma

$175 27.3% 13.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Duma

$194 30.2% 41.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Duma

$83 13% 25.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Duma

$11 * 1.7% 83.4% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Duma

$8.8 * 1.4% 82.6% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $42 in Duma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $169 per month, with Duma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇾 Duma

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

16:32 4:32 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

110,893

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Duma 11,520 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Duma

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 Duma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duma wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Duma the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $961 in Duma 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.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $641 in Duma – Duma is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $641 in Duma versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Duma but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Duma 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.