Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qairawan and Playa del Carmen

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.

Qairawan, Kuwait
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Qairawan
🇰🇼 Kuwait
$1,245
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Qairawan and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Qairawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.13 KWD 2.81
$10.92 MX$205
-16.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.6 KWD 15.90
$43.37 MX$814
18.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.98 KWD 2.15
$11.78 MX$221
-40.75%
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
$4.48 KWD 1.38
$3.81 MX$71.5
17.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 KWD 0.15
$1.28 MX$24.07
-61.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 KWD 0.09
$0.78 MX$14.70
-62.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.17 MX$59.5
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.93 MX$92.7
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Qairawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 KWD 0.40
$1.41 MX$26.40
-7.80%
White Bread (500g)
$0.83 KWD 0.25
$2.22 MX$41.62
-62.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.12 KWD 0.65
$1.42 MX$26.61
49.30%
Eggs
$2.35 KWD 0.73
$2.52 MX$47.36
-6.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.40 KWD 1.35
$7.26 MX$136
-39.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.04 KWD 1.55
$7.70 MX$144
-34.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.38 KWD 2.89
$12.69 MX$238
-26.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.51 KWD 0.77
$2.78 MX$52.3
-9.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 KWD 0.53
$1.37 MX$25.68
26.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.27 KWD 0.39
$2.55 MX$47.89
-50.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.67 KWD 0.51
$2.12 MX$39.86
-21.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 KWD 0.47
$1.94 MX$36.39
-21.13%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 KWD 0.27
$1.89 MX$35.41
-52.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 KWD 0.45
$1.15 MX$21.53
26.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 KWD 0.16
$1.18 MX$22.13
-55.08%
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)
$2.82 KWD 0.87
$4.30 MX$80.6
-34.42%
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
-
🚌 Getting Around
Qairawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 KWD 0.28
$0.55 MX$10.39
63.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$500
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.44 KWD 1.06
$4.97 MX$93.3
-30.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.69 KWD 1.14
$3.33 MX$62.5
10.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.89 KWD 5.51
$5.36 MX$101
233.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.39 KWD 0.12
$1.44 MX$27.11
-72.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.4K KWD 7,819
$20.7K MX$388.0K
22.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.8K KWD 5,179
$23.5K MX$440.5K
-28.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qairawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$55.7 KWD 17.16
$84.8 MX$1,592
-34.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.45 KWD 6.92
$23.41 MX$439
-4.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.17 KWD 9.92
$28.66 MX$538
12.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Qairawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$106 KWD 32.62
$57.1 MX$1,071
85.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$543
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.56 KWD 3.56
$5.14 MX$96.5
124.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Qairawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$295 KWD 90.8
$207 MX$3,878
42.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,738 KWD 2,385
$3,927 MX$73.7K
97.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Qairawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.92 KWD 10.76
$43.35 MX$814
-19.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.28 KWD 12.11
$41.44 MX$778
-5.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 KWD 28.34
$74.2 MX$1,393
23.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 KWD 31.18
$89.3 MX$1,676
13.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Qairawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$789 KWD 243
$980 MX$18.4K
-19.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$549 KWD 169
$381 MX$7,150
44.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,926 KWD 594
$1,708 MX$32.1K
12.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,172 KWD 361
$1,075 MX$20.2K
8.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$74.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$115.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Qairawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.53
11.45
-42.97%

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

Last update for Qairawan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Qairawan
$549
Playa del Carmen
$381 30.6% $168
Groceries & Markets
Qairawan
$161
Playa del Carmen
$255 58.6% $94
Eating Out
Qairawan
$151
Playa del Carmen
$202 34.1% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Qairawan
$129
Playa del Carmen
$67 47.8% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Qairawan
$120
Playa del Carmen
$112 7.1% $8.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qairawan
$110
Playa del Carmen
$137 24.1% $27
Getting Around
Qairawan
$25 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 97.9% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Qairawan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $52 in Qairawan versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $161 in Qairawan vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Qairawan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇼 Qairawan
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
11:24 11:24 AM
03:24 3:24 AM
8 h behind Qairawan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
💱 Currency
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Qairawan Playa del Carmen 12,650 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Qairawan
  • Playa del Carmen

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
Qairawan vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Qairawan?
Yes – Qairawan is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,868 per month in Qairawan and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Qairawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $789 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Qairawan and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,245 in Qairawan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 3% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $295 per month in Qairawan and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Qairawan or Playa del Carmen?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,245 in Qairawan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Qairawan or in Playa del Carmen?
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.

Qairawan vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?