Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $599 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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 Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $599 in Islamabad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Islamabad $599

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $930 in Islamabad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Islamabad $930

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,261 in Islamabad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Islamabad $1,261

Playa del Carmen costs about 102% more than Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Islamabad are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Islamabad 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.63 PKR 1,004

196.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$23.40 PKR 6,478

83.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.54 PKR 1,534

112.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 PKR 987

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 PKR 1,864

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.64 PKR 730

46.59%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.32 PKR 89.6

328.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.23 PKR 63.7

265.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$0.94 PKR 259

53.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.72 PKR 200

209.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.30 PKR 361

13.08%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.22 PKR 339

107.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$6.05 PKR 1,674

20.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.09 PKR 855

154.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$5.35 PKR 1,482

139.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.26 PKR 350

130.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$0.87 PKR 241

65.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.04 PKR 288

145.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$0.53 PKR 146

288.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.29 PKR 81.2

589.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.36 PKR 99.4

458.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.28 PKR 76.4

325.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.39 PKR 108

223.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.95 PKR 539

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 PKR 331

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 PKR 743

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$2.24 PKR 619

96.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.16 PKR 43.07

256.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$21.34 PKR 5,905

30.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.24 PKR 344

301.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.74 PKR 204

372.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$1.60 PKR 442

237.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.37 PKR 378

7.30%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$54.5K PKR 15.1M

-61.49%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

0.21%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$103 PKR 28.6K

-18.45%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$5.99 PKR 1,658

300.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$17.15 PKR 4,746

69.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$28.20 PKR 7,806

123.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$8.47 PKR 2,344

244.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$4.43 PKR 1,226

11.51%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$75.7 PKR 20.9K

169.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$5,004 PKR 1.4M

-21.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$25.72 PKR 7,118

69.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$34.48 PKR 9,543

25.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$95.5 PKR 26.4K

-20.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$41.32 PKR 11.4K

114.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$276 PKR 76.5K

264.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$139 PKR 38.3K

169.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$572 PKR 158.2K

198.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$270 PKR 74.9K

308.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,629 PKR 450.8K

142.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$836 PKR 231.5K

637.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$380 PKR 105.2K

98.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.08

-12.46%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Islamabad

$139 23.1% 63% $235

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Islamabad

$102 17% 60.5% $156

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Islamabad

$80 13.3% 60.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Islamabad

$126 21.1% 7.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Islamabad

$89 14.8% 21.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Islamabad

$37 6.2% 49.1% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 48.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $276 in Islamabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 98% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $23.00 in Islamabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $102 – making Islamabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

05:32 5:32 AM

10 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Islamabad 13,620 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $899 in Islamabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Islamabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 153% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $23.00 in Islamabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Islamabad, where all-in costs run around $599, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Islamabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Islamabad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.