Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Latakia

For one person, living is cheaper in Latakia: $478 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Latakia
Learn more

Latakia Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Latakia

🇸🇾 Syria

$478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $478 in Latakia.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Latakia $478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $790 in Latakia.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Latakia $790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,103 in Latakia.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Latakia $1,103

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 152% more expensive than in Latakia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Latakia 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$5.12 SYP 623

112.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$29.68 SYP 3,607

48.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.36 SYP 652

119.40%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.00 SYP 121

268.00%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.93 SYP 113

44.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.80 SYP 97.3

2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$0.99 SYP 120

209.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.07 SYP 373

60.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.93 SYP 113

58.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.38 SYP 46.67

484.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.17 SYP 142

26.50%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.46 SYP 178

70.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$3.95 SYP 481

90.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.01 SYP 608

58.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$14.20 SYP 1,726

-11.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$0.87 SYP 106

219.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.12 SYP 137

27.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.73 SYP 89.3

258.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.68 SYP 82.3

214.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.69 SYP 83.4

192.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.80 SYP 97.0

148.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.43 SYP 52.7

165.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.66 SYP 80.7

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.71 SYP 329

57.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$3.98 SYP 484

151.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.29 SYP 156

19.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.33 SYP 283

14.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.08 SYP 9.56

562.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.97 SYP 118

405.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.59 SYP 71.2

481.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$5.05 SYP 613

6.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.05 SYP 128

38.10%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

42.89%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

20.60%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$67.4 SYP 8,190

26.65%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$7.38 SYP 897

217.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$33.47 SYP 4,068

-15.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$13.77 SYP 1,674

351.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$9.79 SYP 1,190

192.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$1.17 SYP 143

335.90%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$40.53 SYP 4,925

396.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$1,493 SYP 181.5K

164.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$25.88 SYP 3,145

71.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$19.18 SYP 2,331

115.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$41.90 SYP 5,091

73.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$39.84 SYP 4,842

124.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$89.1 SYP 10.8K

999.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$52.2 SYP 6,339

614.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$245 SYP 29.8K

586.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$127 SYP 15.4K

761.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$705 SYP 85.7K

460.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$250 SYP 30.4K

2350.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$58.5 SYP 7,108

1160.90%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Latakia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Latakia

$52 10.9% 86% $321

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Latakia

$153 32% 40.8% $105

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Latakia

$87 18.2% 56.5% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Latakia

$108 22.7% 21.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Latakia

$57 11.9% 48.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Latakia

$16 3.4% 77.7% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Latakia

$4.2 * 0.9% 91.8% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $89.1 in Latakia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 1161% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $30.00 in Latakia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $153 per month, with Latakia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇾 Latakia

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

16:59 4:59 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

383,786

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Latakia 11,350 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Latakia

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 Latakia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Latakia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 152% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1161% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $89.1 in Latakia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $40.53 in Latakia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Latakia – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $478 in Latakia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Latakia but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Latakia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Latakia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Latakia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.