Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Afula and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,708 in Afula, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Afula
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Afula Living Index
58

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

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Afula

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,708

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,708 in Afula versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Afula $2,708
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Afula versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Afula $4,031
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,354 in Afula versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Afula $5,354
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Afula is roughly 125% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Afula is 99% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.68 ₪80.7

$10.92 MX$203

135.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 ₪286

$43.37 MX$805

109.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.64 ₪52.3

$11.78 MX$219

41.26%

Cappuccino

$4.79 ₪15.04

$3.81 MX$70.7

25.72%

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

$3.81 ₪11.98

$1.28 MX$23.81

197.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₪8.71

$0.78 MX$14.54

255.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.32 ₪29.27

$3.17 MX$58.8

194.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 ₪19.21

$4.93 MX$91.7

24.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 ₪8.20

$1.41 MX$26.12

85.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₪9.93

$2.22 MX$41.17

42.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 ₪10.60

$1.42 MX$26.32

137.32%

Eggs

$4.49 ₪14.10

$2.52 MX$46.85

78.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 ₪41.05

$7.26 MX$135

80.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.99 ₪59.7

$7.70 MX$143

146.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 ₪80.0

$12.69 MX$236

100.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 ₪10.00

$2.78 MX$51.7

14.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 ₪9.04

$1.37 MX$25.41

110.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ₪6.87

$2.55 MX$47.37

-14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ₪4.95

$2.12 MX$39.43

-25.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ₪4.90

$1.94 MX$36.00

-19.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ₪5.07

$1.89 MX$35.02

-14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 ₪6.13

$1.15 MX$21.29

69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₪7.73

$1.18 MX$21.89

108.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.34 ₪48.20

$4.30 MX$79.8

256.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.49 ₪39.26

$9.95 MX$185

25.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.78 ₪15.02

$1.58 MX$29.41

202.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 ₪12.74

$2.67 MX$49.60

52.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 ₪7.51

$0.55 MX$10.28

334.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 ₪321

$26.62 MX$494

283.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 ₪13.32

$4.97 MX$92.3

-14.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 ₪4.45

$3.33 MX$61.9

-57.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 ₪62.1

$5.36 MX$99.5

269.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.55 ₪8.02

$1.44 MX$26.82

77.08%

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

$54.4K ₪170.8K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

163.11%

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

$53.6K ₪168.5K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

128.55%

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

$278 ₪873

$84.8 MX$1,575

227.55%

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

$12.29 ₪38.62

$23.41 MX$435

-47.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.73 ₪80.8

$28.66 MX$532

-10.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.3 ₪252

$57.1 MX$1,059

40.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.09 ₪72.6

$28.91 MX$537

-20.13%

Cinema Ticket

$12.27 ₪38.56

$5.14 MX$95.4

138.72%

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

$1,151 ₪3,618

$207 MX$3,836

457.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K ₪77.2K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

525.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 ₪164

$43.35 MX$805

20.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.6 ₪200

$41.44 MX$770

53.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ₪390

$74.2 MX$1,378

67.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 ₪463

$89.3 MX$1,657

65.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 ₪4,910

$980 MX$18.2K

59.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 ₪3,582

$381 MX$7,072

199.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,438 ₪7,660

$1,708 MX$31.7K

42.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,865 ₪5,859

$1,075 MX$20.0K

73.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K ₪31.6K

$3,943 MX$73.2K

155.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,768 ₪24.4K

$6,158 MX$114.4K

26.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,259 ₪10.2K

$735 MX$13.6K

343.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

11.45

-64.63%

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

Last update for Afula: October 26, 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

Afula

$1.1K 42.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 66.6% $759

Groceries & Markets

Afula

$452 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 43.6% $197

Eating Out

Afula

$398 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 49.2% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Afula

$316 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 56.7% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Afula

$174 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35.9% $63

Getting Around

Afula

$123 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Afula

$105 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 35.8% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,563 in Afula and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Afula pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Afula vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $452 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Afula

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

23:14 11:14 PM

7 h behind Afula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,958

149,923

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.318 USD

1 ILS = 0.284 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3.14 ILS (1 ILS = 0.318 USD). 1 EUR = 3.52 ILS (1 ILS = 0.284 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Afula Playa del Carmen 11,500 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Afula
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,708 in Afula and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Afula is about 4.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,563 in Afula versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Afula. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $91 in Afula. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,708 in Afula, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Afula. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Afula. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.