Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rasht

For one person, living is cheaper in Rasht: $472 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

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

Cost of Living Index in Rasht
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Rasht Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Rasht

🇮🇷 Iran

$472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $472 in Rasht, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Rasht $472

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $729 in Rasht, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Rasht $729

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $986 in Rasht, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Rasht $986

Playa del Carmen costs about 155% more than Rasht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rasht are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Rasht 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.41 $3.41

220.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$16.13 $16.13

168.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.07 $4.07

189.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 $0.71

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.38 $1.38

176.09%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.51 $0.51

150.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.98 $0.98

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.54 $0.54

161.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.49 $0.49

353.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.85 $1.85

-23.24%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.29 $1.29

95.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$4.40 $4.40

65.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.59 $2.59

197.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$8.96 $8.96

41.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$0.76 $0.76

265.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.33 $1.33

3.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.74 $0.74

244.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.48 $0.48

341.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.48 $0.48

304.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.50 $0.50

278.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.34 $0.34

238.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.26 $0.26

353.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 $0.24

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 $1.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$1.67 $1.67

157.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.17 $0.17

223.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$11.20 $11.20

137.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.52 $0.52

855.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.22 $0.22

1413.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.54 $1.54

248.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.09 $0.09

1500.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$49.8K $49.8K

-58.47%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$45.2K $45.2K

-48.03%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$12.79 $12.79

562.94%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$1.54 $1.54

1420.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$4.00 $4.00

616.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$18.38 $18.38

210.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$11.92 $11.92

142.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$1.02 $1.02

403.92%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$82.4 $82.4

150.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$2,603 $2,603

50.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$16.10 $16.10

169.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$25.27 $25.27

63.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$109 $109

-31.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$73.3 $73.3

21.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$209 $209

368.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$158 $158

141.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$381 $381

347.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$213 $213

405.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,238 $1,238

218.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$629 $629

879.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$215 $215

241.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-39.74%

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 Rasht: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Rasht

$158 33.4% 58.6% $223

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Rasht

$100 21.1% 60.8% $155

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Rasht

$62 13.1% 69.4% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Rasht

$18 3.9% 86.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Rasht

$100 21.3% 10.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Rasht

$20 4.3% 69.7% $47

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Rasht

$13 2.9% 73.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $209 in Rasht. 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 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Rasht. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $100 – making Rasht the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇷 Rasht

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

03:44 3:44 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

679,995

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rasht 12,140 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
Rasht

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 Rasht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 155%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $708 in Rasht. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rasht, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $472 in Rasht. That makes Rasht about 61% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Rasht. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Rasht, where all-in costs run around $472, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Rasht it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rasht – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Rasht. 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.