CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 80.3% more expensive than Karbala without rent, and 90.2% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 39.3% more expensive than Karbala without rent, and 135.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 MX$210
$5.06 IQDย 6,634
134.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.90 MX$740
$15.45 IQDย 20.3K
171.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.55 MX$186
$5.44 IQDย 7,131
93.93%
Cappuccino
$3.60 MX$63.5
$1.59 IQDย 2,081
126.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 MX$26.45
$0.39 IQDย 515
284.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MX$16.09
$0.28 IQDย 364
225.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 MX$54.4
$1.96 IQDย 2,568
57.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 MX$78.8
$2.81 IQDย 3,688
59.07%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 MX$24.54
$1.17 IQDย 1,541
18.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 MX$33.47
$0.74 IQDย 973
156.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 MX$28.27
$1.50 IQDย 1,972
6.67%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.97
$1.74 IQDย 2,285
49.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.36 MX$148
$5.22 IQDย 6,847
60.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.64 MX$152
$4.66 IQDย 6,110
85.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 MX$192
$9.88 IQDย 13.0K
10.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 MX$45.98
$0.92 IQDย 1,205
183.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$25.46
$1.04 IQDย 1,364
38.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 MX$34.55
$0.95 IQDย 1,250
106.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$37.34
$0.72 IQDย 941
194.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.87
$0.69 IQDย 905
169.57%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 MX$39.20
$0.55 IQDย 716
303.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 MX$17.99
$0.60 IQDย 784
70.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 MX$18.36
$0.59 IQDย 776
76.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.05 MX$71.5
$1.94 IQDย 2,549
108.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 MX$180
$11.61 IQDย 15.2K
-12.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$29.79
$1.07 IQDย 1,404
57.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 MX$46.25
$2.09 IQDย 2,741
25.36%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.09
$0.37 IQDย 480
37.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.52 MX$468
$31.68 IQDย 41.5K
-16.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 MX$55.7
$2.27 IQDย 2,979
38.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.46 MX$43.49
$1.55 IQDย 2,035
58.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 MX$57.5
$7.82 IQDย 10.2K
-58.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$23.36
$0.48 IQDย 635
175.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K MX$531.0K
$11.5K IQDย 15.1M
161.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$419.3K
$14.5K IQDย 19.0M
63.59%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,474
$71.5 IQDย 93.7K
16.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.86 MX$404
$24.91 IQDย 32.7K
-8.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$530
$49.60 IQDย 65.0K
-39.44%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.9 MX$916
$22.92 IQDย 30.1K
126.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.30 MX$323
$16.88 IQDย 22.1K
8.41%
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 MX$90.4
$8.92 IQDย 11.7K
-42.60%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,541
$124 IQDย 163.2K
61.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,318 MX$93.9K
$798 IQDย 1.0M
566.41%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.73 MX$631
$17.01 IQDย 22.3K
110.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.27 MX$711
$13.92 IQDย 18.2K
189.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.2 MX$1,398
$30.65 IQDย 40.2K
158.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,576
$32.35 IQDย 42.4K
175.95%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$947 MX$16.7K
$255 IQDย 334.5K
271.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$483 MX$8,525
$148 IQDย 193.6K
227.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,599 MX$28.2K
$350 IQDย 458.7K
357.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 MX$21.4K
$248 IQDย 324.8K
388.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,996 MX$70.5K
$990 IQDย 1.3M
303.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,402 MX$113.0K
$328 IQDย 430.7K
1849.43%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Karbala
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$730 MX$12.9K
$483 IQDย 633.8K
50.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.67
101.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Karbala: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.