Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dahab and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $443 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
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Dahab Living Index
59

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

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Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$443

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $443 per month in Dahab vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dahab $443
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $735 per month in Dahab vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dahab $735
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,026 per month in Dahab vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dahab $1,026
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Dahab is about 63% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dahab and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Dahab 67% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 E£196

$10.86 MX$201

-66.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.95 E£691

$44.21 MX$817

-70.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 E£242

$11.76 MX$217

-61.48%

Cappuccino

$1.54 E£82.3

$3.68 MX$68.0

-58.15%

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

$0.44 E£23.36

$1.34 MX$24.79

-67.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 E£14.01

$0.82 MX$15.24

-68.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 E£97.0

$3.06 MX$56.6

-40.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 E£127

$4.94 MX$91.2

-52.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 E£49.81

$1.47 MX$27.17

-36.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 E£58.0

$2.22 MX$40.95

-50.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.12

$1.48 MX$27.32

-50.68%

Eggs

$1.31 E£70.0

$2.49 MX$45.99

-47.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 E£544

$7.52 MX$139

35.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 E£203

$7.96 MX$147

-52.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.21 E£545

$12.57 MX$232

-18.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 E£122

$2.78 MX$51.3

-17.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 E£78.4

$1.43 MX$26.37

2.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 E£33.08

$2.62 MX$48.37

-76.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 E£30.73

$2.14 MX$39.49

-72.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 E£28.74

$2.02 MX$37.38

-73.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 E£28.50

$1.99 MX$36.74

-73.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 E£42.70

$1.14 MX$21.01

-29.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£10.96

$1.20 MX$22.18

-82.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 E£79.9

$4.26 MX$78.7

-64.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.45 E£344

$10.02 MX$185

-35.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£85.1

$1.54 MX$28.41

3.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 E£9.72

$0.53 MX$9.73

-66.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.37 E£394

$27.51 MX$508

-73.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 E£38.83

$4.90 MX$90.6

-85.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.42 E£22.62

$1.45 MX$26.76

-71.03%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

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

$17.34 E£926

$85.4 MX$1,577

-79.69%

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

$6.42 E£343

$23.46 MX$434

-72.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.43 E£931

$28.43 MX$525

-38.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.98 E£800

$62.2 MX$1,149

-75.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.05 E£483

$28.68 MX$530

-68.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 E£253

$5.10 MX$94.3

-7.25%

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

$201 MX$3,715

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 E£9,942

$979 MX$18.1K

-80.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 E£6,771

$373 MX$6,887

-65.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 E£27.3K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-69.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 E£16.3K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-72.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$130 E£6,921

$738 MX$13.6K

-82.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Dahab: 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

Dahab

$163 * 36.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 58.2% $95

Accommodation & Living

Dahab

$127 28.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 194% $246

Eating Out

Dahab

$78 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 156% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dahab

$41 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 233% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Dahab

$24 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 196% $48

Getting Around

Dahab

$8.8 * 2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 485% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Dahab

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $186 in Dahab 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.

Salaries run about 469% 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 $13.00 in Dahab versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $163 vs $258 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Dahab

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

06:38 6:38 AM

8 h behind Dahab

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dahab Playa del Carmen 11,700 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Dahab
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 172%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $664 per month in Dahab 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 Dahab, 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 $443 in Dahab and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 172%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Dahab and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dahab, where all-in costs run around $443, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Dahab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dahab – 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 Dahab. 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.