Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shiraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiraz: $542 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Shiraz
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Shiraz Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Shiraz

🇮🇷 Iran

$542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $542 in Shiraz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Shiraz $542

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $813 in Shiraz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Shiraz $813

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,084 in Shiraz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Shiraz $1,084

Playa del Carmen costs about 122% more than Shiraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Shiraz are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Shiraz 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$4.63 $4.63

135.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$13.20 $13.20

228.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.07 $4.07

189.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 $0.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.21 $1.21

214.88%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.62 $0.62

106.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

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

$0.70 $0.70

101.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.41 $0.41

441.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.88 $1.88

-24.47%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.18 $1.18

113.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$2.27 $2.27

219.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.98 $2.98

158.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$9.58 $9.58

32.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.11 $1.11

150.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.55 $1.55

-11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.89 $0.89

186.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.60 $0.60

253.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.57 $0.57

240.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.52 $0.52

263.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.47 $0.47

144.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.21 $0.21

461.90%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.89 $0.89

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.04 $3.04

41.45%

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

$0.11 $0.11

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$2.95 $2.95

802.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.41 $0.41

1112.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.20 $0.20

1565.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$3.43 $3.43

56.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$64.9K $64.9K

-68.16%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$53.3K $53.3K

-55.99%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$23.44 $23.44

261.73%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$1.98 $1.98

1082.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$16.86 $16.86

69.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$18.75 $18.75

204.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$13.68 $13.68

111.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$2.02 $2.02

154.46%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$102 $102

102.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$2,401 $2,401

63.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$22.72 $22.72

90.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$18.07 $18.07

129.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$93.8 $93.8

-20.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$55.6 $55.6

60.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$293 $293

234.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$218 $218

74.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$526 $526

224.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$325 $325

230.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,127 $1,127

249.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$517 $517

1092.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$243 $243

202.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

24.3

-52.88%

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 Shiraz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Shiraz

$218 40.2% 42.8% $163

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Shiraz

$102 18.9% 59.8% $152

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Shiraz

$66 * 12.2% 67.3% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Shiraz

$42 7.8% 69.1% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Shiraz

$86 15.8% 23.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Shiraz

$23 4.2% 66.1% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Shiraz

$4.8 0.9% 90.5% $46

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 $293 in Shiraz. 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 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 $13 in Shiraz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $102 – making Shiraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇷 Shiraz

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

00:19 12:19 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,565,572

💱 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 28, 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 28, 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 Shiraz 12,950 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Shiraz

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 Shiraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 122%, 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 $813 in Shiraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiraz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $293 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $542 in Shiraz. That makes Shiraz about 55% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 89% less in Shiraz. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shiraz, where all-in costs run around $542, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Shiraz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shiraz – 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 Shiraz. 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.