Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Karbala Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Karbala

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 82.7% more expensive than Karbala without rent, and 83.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 54.3% more expensive than Karbala without rent, and 129.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$5.01 IQD 6,556
139.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$15.61 IQD 20.4K
172.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$5.34 IQD 6,988
96.07%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.58 IQD 2,071
127.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.36 IQD 476
300.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.3 IQD 395
196.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.93 IQD 2,521
60.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.83 IQD 3,706
61.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.19 IQD 1,562
15.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.7 IQD 914
164.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.43 IQD 1,867
9.79%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.75 IQD 2,290
45.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$5.2 IQD 6,811
65.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$4.85 IQD 6,348
76.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$9.7 IQD 12.7K
13.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$0.97 IQD 1,265
180.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.03 IQD 1,346
46.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$0.91 IQD 1,187
106.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$0.66 IQD 863
231.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$0.63 IQD 821
196.83%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$0.54 IQD 712
305.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.6 IQD 792
78.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.6 IQD 783
81.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$1.94 IQD 2,537
104.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$13.19 IQD 17.3K
-32.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.02 IQD 1,334
68.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.19 IQD 2,869
19.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.37 IQD 482
40.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$30.86 IQD 40.4K
-13.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$2.27 IQD 2,966
42.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.5 IQD 1,958
58.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$7.68 IQD 10K
-59.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.48 IQD 634
172.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$11.4K IQD 14.9M
166.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$14.5K IQD 19M
65.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$70.3 IQD 92K
19.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$24.7 IQD 32.3K
-10.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$48.37 IQD 63.3K
-37.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$22.76 IQD 29.8K
128.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$16.95 IQD 22.2K
10.44%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$8.9 IQD 11.7K
-43.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$126 IQD 165.2K
58.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$785 IQD 1M
578.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$17.44 IQD 22.8K
104.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$14.06 IQD 18.4K
183.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$30.32 IQD 39.7K
160.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$32.09 IQD 42K
175.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$254 IQD 332K
280.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$148 IQD 193.2K
221.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$345 IQD 452.1K
378.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$242 IQD 317.3K
395.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,155 IQD 1.5M
166.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$339 IQD 443.7K
2121.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$504 IQD 659.7K
57.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.67
101.41%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Karbala: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.