Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aja and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aja: $434 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Aja
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Aja Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Aja

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $434 per month in Aja vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Aja $434
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $700 per month in Aja vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Aja $700
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $966 per month in Aja vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Aja $966
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Aja is about 64% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aja and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Aja 68% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 E£217

$10.86 MX$203

-64.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.29 E£853

$44.21 MX$827

-65.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 E£261

$11.76 MX$220

-60.29%

Cappuccino

$1.25 E£69.6

$3.68 MX$68.9

-66.03%

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

$0.32 E£17.97

$1.34 MX$25.11

-76.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.41

$0.82 MX$15.44

-86.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 E£73.4

$3.06 MX$57.3

-56.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 E£160

$4.94 MX$92.4

-41.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 E£44.55

$1.47 MX$27.52

-45.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 E£39.66

$2.22 MX$41.47

-68.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 E£34.70

$1.48 MX$27.67

-58.11%

Eggs

$1.21 E£67.4

$2.49 MX$46.59

-51.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.26 E£182

$7.52 MX$141

-56.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.01 E£223

$7.96 MX$149

-49.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.95 E£443

$12.57 MX$235

-36.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 E£84.5

$2.78 MX$52.0

-45.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 E£35.80

$1.43 MX$26.71

-55.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 E£27.13

$2.62 MX$48.99

-81.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.33 E£18.14

$2.14 MX$39.99

-84.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 E£19.13

$2.02 MX$37.86

-83.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 E£17.13

$1.99 MX$37.21

-84.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.88

$1.14 MX$21.28

-78.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.17 E£9.33

$1.20 MX$22.46

-85.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 E£107

$4.26 MX$79.7

-54.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 E£351

$10.02 MX$187

-37.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 E£68.7

$1.54 MX$28.77

-20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 E£112

$2.66 MX$49.80

-24.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 E£11.12

$0.53 MX$9.85

-62.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.36 E£20.17

$4.90 MX$91.8

-92.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.16 E£9.19

$3.43 MX$64.3

-95.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 E£67.8

$5.38 MX$101

-77.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£25.42

$1.45 MX$27.10

-68.28%

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

$31.6K E£1.8M

$21.2K MX$396.0K

49.15%

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

$24.9K E£1.4M

$23.0K MX$430.8K

7.98%

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

$14.99 E£836

$85.4 MX$1,598

-82.44%

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

$7.02 E£392

$23.46 MX$439

-70.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.55 E£756

$28.43 MX$532

-52.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.16 E£901

$62.2 MX$1,164

-74.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$2.78 E£155

$5.10 MX$95.5

-45.49%

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

$87.4 E£4,875

$201 MX$3,763

-56.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,900 E£105.9K

$3,947 MX$73.9K

-51.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.08 E£953

$44.39 MX$831

-61.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.98 E£2,453

$41.35 MX$774

6.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,420

$72.7 MX$1,362

58.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.1 E£3,129

$89.6 MX$1,677

-37.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$131 E£7,287

$979 MX$18.3K

-86.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.0 E£4,294

$373 MX$6,976

-79.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$255 E£14.2K

$1,681 MX$31.5K

-84.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 E£8,164

$1,095 MX$20.5K

-86.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$755 E£42.1K

$3,949 MX$73.9K

-80.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 E£19.3K

$6,137 MX$114.9K

-94.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

11.45

41.57%

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

Last update for Aja: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aja

$119 27.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 118% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Aja

$105 24.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.8% $7.1

Accommodation & Living

Aja

$77 17.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 384% $296

Eating Out

Aja

$74 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 170% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aja

$36 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 286% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Aja

$22 5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 233% $51

Getting Around

Aja

$2 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 2511% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $131 in Aja versus $979 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 $15 in Aja versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $119 vs $258 – making Aja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Aja

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

23:32 11:32 PM

8 h behind Aja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,013

149,923

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aja Playa del Carmen 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Aja
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 178% more than Aja, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $650 per month in Aja and $1,806 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 Aja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $131 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $434 in Aja and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 178%.

Kindergarten costs $87 per month in Aja and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Aja, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Aja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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