Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $504 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
Learn more

Kabul Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $504 in Kabul.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kabul $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $683 in Kabul.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kabul $683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $862 in Kabul.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kabul $862

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 139% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kabul 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.70 ؋175

304.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$7.75 ؋503

459.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.68 ؋304

151.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.12 ؋72.4

240.18%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.48 ؋31.20

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.13 ؋8.66

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.82 ؋53.3

71.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.25 ؋16.30

788.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.79 ؋116

-20.67%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.57 ؋102

60.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$4.39 ؋285

65.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.89 ؋252

97.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$6.68 ؋434

89.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$0.68 ؋44.41

308.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.84 ؋54.7

63.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.94 ؋61.3

171.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.55 ؋35.88

285.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.61 ؋39.33

218.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.48 ؋30.95

293.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.30 ؋19.61

283.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.39 ؋25.52

202.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.43 ؋158

76.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.16 ؋10.14

243.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$20.62 ؋1,339

29.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.04 ؋132

143.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.48 ؋31.24

593.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.75 ؋178

94.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.08 ؋70.1

33.33%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$8,581 ؋557.2K

140.83%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$33.9K ؋2.2M

-30.84%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$42.52 ؋2,761

99.41%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$13.17 ؋855

77.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$95.5 ؋6,201

-69.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$11.01 ؋715

418.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$4.01 ؋260

620.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$2.29 ؋149

124.45%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$19.86 ؋1,290

940.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$1,052 ؋68.3K

273.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$10.53 ؋684

311.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$16.26 ؋1,056

154.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$58.5 ؋3,798

26.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$24.87 ؋1,615

258.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$122 ؋7,935

701.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$110 ؋7,173

244.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$220 ؋14.3K

675.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$114 ؋7,434

839.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$669 ؋43.5K

488.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$355 ؋23.0K

1636.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$339 ؋22.0K

116.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Kabul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kabul

$110 21.9% 71% $270

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kabul

$101 19.9% 60.5% $154

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kabul

$51 10.2% 74.6% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kabul

$151 30% 10.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kabul

$50 9.8% 55.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kabul

$16 3.1% 76.8% $52

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kabul

$26 5.1% 49.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $122 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.2 times 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: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $8 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $101 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

04:17 4:17 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.29 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kabul 13,390 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kabul

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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $504 in Kabul, so Kabul is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.2 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 $122 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 23% 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 $19.86 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $504 in Kabul versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul 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 Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.