Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al `arish and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Al `arish: $427 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Al `arish
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Al `arish Living Index
57

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

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Al `arish

🇪🇬 Egypt

$427

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $427 in Al `arish versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Al `arish $427
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $684 in Al `arish versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Al `arish $684
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $940 in Al `arish versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Al `arish $940
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Al `arish costs roughly 64% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al `arish 68% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 E£211

$10.67 MX$199

-64.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.41 E£797

$43.80 MX$815

-67.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 E£243

$11.79 MX$219

-62.68%

Cappuccino

$1.11 E£61.2

$3.79 MX$70.5

-70.71%

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

$0.32 E£17.94

$1.30 MX$24.14

-75.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£7.04

$0.83 MX$15.51

-84.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 E£75.3

$3.15 MX$58.6

-56.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 E£152

$4.93 MX$91.8

-44.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 E£44.01

$1.41 MX$26.22

-43.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 E£17.53

$2.20 MX$40.86

-85.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 E£33.93

$1.47 MX$27.40

-58.50%

Eggs

$1.27 E£70.3

$2.50 MX$46.46

-49.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.26 E£125

$7.29 MX$136

-69.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 E£186

$7.95 MX$148

-57.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 E£410

$12.86 MX$239

-42.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 E£77.5

$2.90 MX$53.9

-51.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 E£30.97

$1.38 MX$25.74

-59.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.40 E£22.21

$2.49 MX$46.35

-83.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.33 E£17.98

$2.03 MX$37.77

-83.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 E£22.49

$2.02 MX$37.68

-79.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 E£23.64

$1.90 MX$35.42

-77.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.74

$1.14 MX$21.30

-78.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 E£10.36

$1.24 MX$23.05

-84.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 E£99.1

$4.27 MX$79.5

-58.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 E£243

$9.81 MX$183

-55.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 E£55.8

$1.59 MX$29.51

-36.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 E£85.2

$2.75 MX$51.1

-44.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 E£9.53

$0.51 MX$9.58

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.28 E£15.64

$4.76 MX$88.6

-94.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 E£20.51

$3.25 MX$60.5

-88.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 E£63.6

$5.39 MX$100

-78.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.08

$1.53 MX$28.44

-73.86%

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

$29.9K E£1.7M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

40.78%

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

$23.4K E£1.3M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

0.40%

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

$14.23 E£787

$83.5 MX$1,554

-82.96%

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

$6.74 E£372

$23.19 MX$431

-70.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.26 E£1,286

$27.61 MX$514

-15.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.12 E£836

$56.4 MX$1,050

-73.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$3.62 E£200

$5.00 MX$93.1

-27.60%

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

$79.4 E£4,388

$207 MX$3,854

-61.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,230 E£123.3K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

-57.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.85 E£544

$43.45 MX$809

-77.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.67 E£2,414

$42.54 MX$792

2.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 E£8,211

$72.8 MX$1,354

104.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.4 E£2,844

$88.4 MX$1,645

-41.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 E£6,875

$995 MX$18.5K

-87.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.3 E£3,997

$382 MX$7,116

-81.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$240 E£13.3K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-85.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 E£7,569

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-87.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$713 E£39.4K

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-81.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 E£18.5K

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-94.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

11.45

96.51%

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

Last update for Al `arish: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Al `arish

$114 26.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 2.5% $2.8

Groceries & Markets

Al `arish

$100 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 157% $157

Accommodation & Living

Al `arish

$72 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 429% $310

Eating Out

Al `arish

$71 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 182% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al `arish

$44 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 204% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Al `arish

$22 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 197% $44

Getting Around

Al `arish

$2.8 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1683% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $124 in Al `arish and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14 in Al `arish vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $100 vs $257 per month, with Al `arish cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Al `arish

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

14:55 2:55 PM

7 h behind Al `arish

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

199,243

149,923

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.62 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 55.29 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.83 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al `arish Playa del Carmen 11,480 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Al `arish
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

Al `arish vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al `arish wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al `arish the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $641 in Al `arish and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $124 in Al `arish versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 156% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $427 per month in Al `arish versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Al `arish is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $427 in Al `arish versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Al `arish but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al `arish 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.