Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tartus and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tartus: $635 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tartus
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Tartus Living Index
57

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

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Tartus

🇸🇾 Syria

$635

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Tartus vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tartus $635
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $988 per month in Tartus vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tartus $988
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,340 per month in Tartus vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tartus $1,340
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Tartus is about 47% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tartus and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tartus 53% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 SYP 1,231

$10.67 MX$199

-5.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.75 SYP 5,072

$43.80 MX$815

-4.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 SYP 827

$11.79 MX$219

-42.32%

Cappuccino

$3.79 SYP 461

$3.79 MX$70.5

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

$2.22 SYP 269

$1.30 MX$24.14

70.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 SYP 101

$0.83 MX$15.51

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 SYP 236

$3.15 MX$58.6

-38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 SYP 497

$4.93 MX$91.8

-17.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.44 SYP 53.9

$1.41 MX$26.22

-68.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 SYP 53.9

$2.20 MX$40.86

-80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 SYP 90.3

$1.47 MX$27.40

-49.66%

Eggs

$0.81 SYP 98.8

$2.50 MX$46.46

-67.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.95 SYP 480

$7.29 MX$136

-45.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 SYP 370

$7.95 MX$148

-61.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 SYP 1,698

$12.86 MX$239

8.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 SYP 126

$2.90 MX$53.9

-64.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 SYP 166

$1.38 MX$25.74

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 SYP 140

$2.49 MX$46.35

-53.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.22 SYP 26.66

$2.03 MX$37.77

-89.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.22 SYP 26.73

$2.02 MX$37.68

-89.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 SYP 35.82

$1.90 MX$35.42

-84.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 SYP 52.7

$1.14 MX$21.30

-62.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 SYP 74.7

$1.24 MX$23.05

-50.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.65 SYP 322

$4.27 MX$79.5

-37.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.93 SYP 599

$9.81 MX$183

-49.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 SYP 140

$1.59 MX$29.51

-27.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 SYP 347

$2.75 MX$51.1

4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 SYP 39.53

$0.51 MX$9.58

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 SYP 123

$4.76 MX$88.6

-78.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 SYP 182

$3.25 MX$60.5

-54.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 SYP 954

$5.39 MX$100

45.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.67 SYP 446

$1.53 MX$28.44

139.87%

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

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

-28.89%

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

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

-17.79%

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

$139 SYP 16.9K

$83.5 MX$1,554

67.06%

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

$9.52 SYP 1,157

$23.19 MX$431

-58.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.33 SYP 2,470

$27.61 MX$514

-26.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.64 SYP 685

$56.4 MX$1,050

-90.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.47 SYP 664

$5.00 MX$93.1

9.40%

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

$9.54 SYP 1,160

$207 MX$3,854

-95.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,756 SYP 213.3K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

-66.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.34 SYP 1,378

$43.45 MX$809

-73.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.40 SYP 4,909

$42.54 MX$792

-5.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.48 SYP 5,648

$72.8 MX$1,354

-36.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.39 SYP 1,870

$88.4 MX$1,645

-82.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 SYP 14.2K

$995 MX$18.5K

-88.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.7 SYP 9,319

$382 MX$7,116

-79.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 SYP 28.2K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-86.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 SYP 13.8K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-89.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$49.39 SYP 6,001

$832 MX$15.5K

-94.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

11.45

24.45%

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

Last update for Tartus: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Tartus

$177 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 13.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tartus

$169 26.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 20.7% $35

Groceries & Markets

Tartus

$135 21.2%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 90.9% $123

Accommodation & Living

Tartus

$77 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 399% $306

Clothing & Footwear

Tartus

$51 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 118% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Tartus

$17 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 301% $50

Getting Around

Tartus

$9.8 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 416% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $117 in Tartus versus $995 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 in Playa del Carmen are about 17 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Tartus versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $135 vs $257 – making Tartus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Tartus

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

8 h behind Tartus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,769

149,923

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tartus Playa del Carmen 11,400 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Tartus
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Tartus and $1,804 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 Tartus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $117 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $635 in Tartus and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Tartus about 47% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $9.54 per month in Tartus and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tartus, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Tartus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tartus – 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 Tartus. 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.