Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Qairawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,245 in Qairawan, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Qairawan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Qairawan
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Qairawan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Qairawan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,245 in Qairawan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Qairawan $1,245

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,045 in Qairawan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Qairawan $2,045

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,844 in Qairawan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Qairawan $2,844

Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper than Qairawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Qairawan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Qairawan 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$9.13 KWD 2.81

19.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$51.6 KWD 15.90

-15.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.98 KWD 2.15

68.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.48 KWD 1.38

-14.96%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.49 KWD 0.15

161.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.29 KWD 0.09

168.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.30 KWD 0.40

8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.83 KWD 0.25

167.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.12 KWD 0.65

-33.02%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.35 KWD 0.73

7.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$4.40 KWD 1.35

65.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$5.04 KWD 1.55

52.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$9.38 KWD 2.89

35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.51 KWD 0.77

10.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.73 KWD 0.53

-20.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.27 KWD 0.39

100.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.67 KWD 0.51

26.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.53 KWD 0.47

26.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.89 KWD 0.27

112.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.46 KWD 0.45

-21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.53 KWD 0.16

122.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 KWD 0.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 KWD 0.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$2.82 KWD 0.87

52.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.90 KWD 0.28

-38.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$3.44 KWD 1.06

44.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$3.69 KWD 1.14

-9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$17.89 KWD 5.51

-70.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.39 KWD 0.12

269.23%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$25.4K KWD 7,819

-18.54%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$16.8K KWD 5,179

39.64%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$55.7 KWD 17.16

52.25%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$22.45 KWD 6.92

4.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$32.17 KWD 9.92

-10.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$106 KWD 32.62

-46.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$11.56 KWD 3.56

-55.54%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$295 KWD 90.8

-29.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$7,738 KWD 2,385

-49.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$34.92 KWD 10.76

24.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$39.28 KWD 12.11

5.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$91.9 KWD 28.34

-19.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$101 KWD 31.18

-11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$789 KWD 243

24.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$549 KWD 169

-30.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,926 KWD 594

-11.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,172 KWD 361

-8.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.53

75.34%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Qairawan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Qairawan

$549 44.1% 44.1% $168

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Qairawan

$161 12.9% 37% $94

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Qairawan

$151 12.1% 25.4% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Qairawan

$110 8.9% 19.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Qairawan

$120 9.7% 7.7% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Qairawan

$129 10.4% 91.6% $62

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Qairawan

$25 * 2.1% 49.5% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $789 in Qairawan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $52 in Qairawan. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $161 in Qairawan – so Qairawan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇼 Qairawan

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Qairawan 12,650 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Qairawan

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 Qairawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Qairawan is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,868 in Qairawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qairawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $789 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,245 in Qairawan. That makes Playa del Carmen about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $295 in Qairawan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,245 in Qairawan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,245 in Qairawan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.