Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index
60

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

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $773 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $773
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $1,194 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,194
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $1,615 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,615
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Sulaymaniyah is about 36% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sulaymaniyah and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sulaymaniyah 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.07 IQD 7,660

$10.97 MX$201

-53.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

$44.85 MX$823

-48.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

$11.92 MX$219

-40.94%

Cappuccino

$2.88 IQD 4,344

$3.80 MX$69.9

-24.21%

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

$0.50 IQD 759

$1.31 MX$24.08

-61.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 IQD 378

$0.86 MX$15.72

-70.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 IQD 5,943

$3.21 MX$59.0

22.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 IQD 3,427

$5.01 MX$92.0

-54.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 IQD 1,935

$1.46 MX$26.77

-12.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 IQD 1,519

$2.33 MX$42.72

-56.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 IQD 2,812

$1.44 MX$26.48

29.17%

Eggs

$1.77 IQD 2,672

$2.46 MX$45.20

-28.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.96 IQD 7,490

$7.70 MX$141

-35.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 IQD 6,382

$7.89 MX$145

-46.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

$12.80 MX$235

19.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 IQD 1,935

$2.92 MX$53.6

-56.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 IQD 1,937

$1.42 MX$26.11

-9.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 IQD 1,737

$2.57 MX$47.10

-55.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,025

$2.14 MX$39.24

-68.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 847

$1.95 MX$35.75

-71.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 IQD 1,096

$1.94 MX$35.55

-62.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$1.15 MX$21.13

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 IQD 752

$1.22 MX$22.42

-59.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 IQD 3,444

$4.38 MX$80.3

-47.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

$9.85 MX$181

14.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 IQD 2,949

$1.54 MX$28.23

26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 IQD 2,141

$2.72 MX$49.86

-47.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 IQD 902

$0.52 MX$9.64

15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.68 IQD 34.3K

$27.42 MX$503

-17.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 IQD 3,361

$4.91 MX$90.2

-54.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 IQD 3,531

$3.52 MX$64.7

-33.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 IQD 8,306

$5.69 MX$104

-3.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 IQD 1,045

$1.54 MX$28.27

-55.19%

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

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

$21.2K MX$389.9K

-1.72%

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

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

$24.5K MX$449.6K

-22.65%

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

$100 IQD 151.7K

$83.6 MX$1,535

20.05%

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

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

$24.03 MX$441

-52.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.04 IQD 42.4K

$29.33 MX$539

-4.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.70 IQD 60.0K

$64.9 MX$1,191

-38.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 IQD 30.4K

$29.46 MX$541

-31.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 IQD 11.5K

$5.09 MX$93.4

48.92%

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

$173 IQD 261.0K

$208 MX$3,813

-16.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,946 IQD 4.5M

$4,045 MX$74.3K

-27.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

$44.55 MX$818

-57.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.19 IQD 38.1K

$42.06 MX$772

-40.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

$75.5 MX$1,387

-42.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

$91.4 MX$1,678

-57.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 IQD 324.7K

$986 MX$18.1K

-78.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 IQD 264.2K

$385 MX$7,072

-54.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 IQD 743.9K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-71.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 IQD 548.8K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-67.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$786 IQD 1.2M

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-80.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$630 IQD 952.4K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-89.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 IQD 882.1K

$758 MX$13.9K

-22.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

11.45

-49.61%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 38.1% $72

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 120% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 2.1% $2.9

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 65.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 101% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 36.8% $20

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 33.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Sulaymaniyah versus $986 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.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $260 – making Sulaymaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

23:41 11:41 PM

8 h behind Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

149,923

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Playa del Carmen 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sulaymaniyah
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

Sulaymaniyah vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,160 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $1,823 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sulaymaniyah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $773 in Sulaymaniyah and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 57%.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Sulaymaniyah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sulaymaniyah, where all-in costs run around $773, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Sulaymaniyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sulaymaniyah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.