Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $756 in Mashhad.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Mashhad $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,119 in Mashhad.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mashhad $1,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,481 in Mashhad.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Mashhad $1,481

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 59% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Mashhad 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$4.49 IQD 6,781

137.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

63.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

75.19%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.71 IQD 4,100

39.85%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.36 IQD 542

261.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.20 IQD 302

315.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$3.37 IQD 5,090

-6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$3.39 IQD 5,126

45.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$0.91 IQD 1,368

54.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$0.73 IQD 1,106

201.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.32 IQD 1,997

11.36%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$0.82 IQD 1,242

204.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$3.41 IQD 5,157

113.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$1.98 IQD 2,985

301.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$2.95 IQD 4,463

335.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.03 IQD 1,556

181.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$0.91 IQD 1,377

51.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$0.87 IQD 1,321

186.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$0.64 IQD 971

217.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$0.59 IQD 898

242.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$0.56 IQD 840

239.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.31 IQD 474

267.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.21 IQD 321

490.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$0.77 IQD 1,168

454.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

-17.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.92 IQD 2,898

-17.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$1.87 IQD 2,832

47.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.34 IQD 520

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.96 IQD 2,965

142.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.31 IQD 1,972

148.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$6.42 IQD 9,699

-16.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$0.54 IQD 810

183.33%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

26.32%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

40.78%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$191 IQD 288.5K

-56.28%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

19.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-28.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

53.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

-48.40%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$143 IQD 215.6K

45.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

63.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

69.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

25.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

23.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

108.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$212 IQD 319.9K

369.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$139 IQD 210.6K

174.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$378 IQD 571.7K

342.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$319 IQD 482.6K

238.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$862 IQD 1.3M

353.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$491 IQD 742.5K

1149.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.12

177.91%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 63.6% $243

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 55.4% $143

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 42.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 85.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 34.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 15.5% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 80.4% $41

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 $995 in Playa del Carmen and $212 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $27 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $115 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

13,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mashhad 11,850 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $756 in Mashhad, so Mashhad is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,134 in Mashhad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $212 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $143 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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.