Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Qom

For one person, living is cheaper in Qom: $436 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Qom, Iran
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Qom
🇮🇷 Iran
$436
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $436 in Qom, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Qom $436

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $847 in Qom, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Qom $847

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,257 in Qom, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Qom $1,257

Playa del Carmen costs about 176% more than Qom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Qom are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Qom 68% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Qom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$201
$3.05 $3.05
249.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$824
$15.89 $15.89
175.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$222
$3.91 $3.91
201.53%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.52 $0.52
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.48 $1.48
-
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$71.2
$1.01 $1.01
275.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.41
$0.41 $0.41
217.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.69
$1.73 $1.73
-52.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$59.2
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.9
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Qom
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.51
$0.53 $0.53
166.04%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.32
$0.62 $0.62
254.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.71
$1.70 $1.70
-13.53%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.99
$1.02 $1.02
145.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$137
$2.81 $2.81
159.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$150
$3.13 $3.13
153.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$242
$7.45 $7.45
72.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.5
$0.79 $0.79
267.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$26.03
$1.46 $1.46
-5.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.88
$0.99 $0.99
151.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.20
$0.47 $0.47
331.91%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$38.11
$0.47 $0.47
329.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.82
$0.43 $0.43
341.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.54
$0.26 $0.26
338.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.32
$0.26 $0.26
376.92%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.77 $0.77
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.47 $0.47
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.48 $1.48
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.4
$1.22 $1.22
250.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$185
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.85
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.7
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Qom
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.69
$0.17 $0.17
200.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$515
$14.48 $14.48
89.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.6
$0.26 $0.26
1730.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$61.1
$0.25 $0.25
1200.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$1.02 $1.02
428.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.76
$0.08 $0.08
1812.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$399.2K
$50.7K $50.7K
-58.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$437.8K
$46.1K $46.1K
-49.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Qom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,571
$12.79 $12.79
552.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$436
$1.27 $1.27
1725.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$520
$3.97 $3.97
595.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Qom
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,062
$8.60 $8.60
556.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$531
$9.86 $9.86
185.90%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$94.1
$0.98 $0.98
410.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Qom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,897
$108 $108
91.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$98.4K
$2,623 $2,623
99.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Qom
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$818
$15.29 $15.29
184.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$801
$12.99 $12.99
227.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,369
$100 $100
-27.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,663
$49.43 $49.43
78.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Qom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.7K
$237 $237
319.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,197
$160 $160
139.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.5K
$578 $578
189.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.3K
$573 $573
88.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.6K
$885 $885
341.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$115.5K
$611 $611
905.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Qom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.7K
$216 $216
285.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
20.33
-43.68%

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 Qom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Qom
$160 58.2% $222
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Qom
$94 63.4% $163
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Qom
$57 71.6% $143
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Qom
$18 86.6% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Qom
$80 27.9% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Qom
$11 84.1% $56
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Qom
$17 66.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $237 in Qom. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Qom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $94 – making Qom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇷 Qom
🕒 Local time
02:36 2:36 AM
11:06 11:06 AM
8 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
1,075,000
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

USD exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Qom 12,430 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Qom

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 Qom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Qom cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 176%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $655 in Qom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Qom, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $237 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Qom?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $436 in Qom. That makes Qom about 64% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 47% less in Qom. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $800 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Qom?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Qom, where all-in costs run around $436, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Qom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Qom more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Qom – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Qom. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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