Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mashhad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $485 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$485

/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.

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $485 in Mashhad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Mashhad $485

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $770 in Mashhad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Mashhad $770

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,055 in Mashhad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Mashhad $1,055

Playa del Carmen costs about 151% more than Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mashhad are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Mashhad 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$3.03 $3.03

262.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$18.20 $18.20

146.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$4.89 $4.89

143.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.59 $0.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$1.09 $1.09

248.62%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.43 $0.43

204.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.26 $0.26

230.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$0.62 $0.62

135.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$0.19 $0.19

1126.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$2.03 $2.03

-29.06%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$1.10 $1.10

123.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$2.16 $2.16

256.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$2.77 $2.77

184.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$10.45 $10.45

22.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$0.96 $0.96

204.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.51 $1.51

-5.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$0.78 $0.78

229.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$0.57 $0.57

275.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$0.53 $0.53

267.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$0.47 $0.47

312.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$0.48 $0.48

139.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.29 $0.29

320.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.88 $0.88

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 $0.74

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.03 $3.03

44.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.02 $0.02

2500.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$3.72 $3.72

637.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$0.19 $0.19

2484.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.49 $0.49

618.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$1.96 $1.96

190.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.82 $0.82

87.80%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$60.2K $60.2K

-64.73%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$66.2K $66.2K

-62.99%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$13.58 $13.58

515.68%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$2.67 $2.67

800.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$27.42 $27.42

6.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$19.38 $19.38

234.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$14.98 $14.98

96.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$2.03 $2.03

150.74%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$40.02 $40.02

418.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$622 $622

549.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$19.92 $19.92

123.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$38.69 $38.69

8.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$93.5 $93.5

-19.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$68.6 $68.6

33.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$213 $213

362.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$148 $148

160.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$400 $400

328.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$272 $272

307.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$1,125 $1,125

257.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$689 $689

806.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$252 $252

200.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

21.5

-46.74%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Mashhad

$148 31.1% 61.6% $237

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Mashhad

$100 21% 61.6% $160

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Mashhad

$55 11.5% 73.1% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Mashhad

$44 9.2% 68.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Mashhad

$99 20.9% 12.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Mashhad

$23 4.9% 68.8% $52

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Mashhad

$6.4 1.4% 87.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $213 in Mashhad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 200% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $18.00 in Mashhad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $100 – making Mashhad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

14:10 2:10 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,001,184

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mashhad 12,780 km ≈ 16 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

Playa del Carmen costs about 151% more than Mashhad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $727 in Mashhad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mashhad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $485 in Mashhad. That's a gap of about 151%.

Public transport costs about 637% less in Mashhad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mashhad, where all-in costs run around $485, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Mashhad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mashhad costs $485 versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mashhad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.