Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eilat and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,978 in Eilat, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Eilat
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Eilat Living Index
59

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

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Eilat

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,978

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,978 in Eilat versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Eilat $2,978
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,437 in Eilat versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Eilat $4,437
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,895 in Eilat versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Eilat $5,895
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Eilat is roughly 146% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Eilat is 121% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.88 ₪80.5

$10.76 MX$199

140.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 ₪409

$43.03 MX$795

205.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.47 ₪63.7

$11.79 MX$218

73.62%

Cappuccino

$5.55 ₪17.25

$3.87 MX$71.4

43.41%

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

$4.04 ₪12.55

$1.37 MX$25.29

194.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₪9.89

$0.84 MX$15.44

278.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.28 ₪35.09

$3.10 MX$57.3

263.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.79 ₪33.56

$5.07 MX$93.6

112.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 ₪7.86

$1.44 MX$26.55

75.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.42 ₪13.75

$2.23 MX$41.23

98.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 ₪11.91

$1.47 MX$27.17

160.54%

Eggs

$4.17 ₪12.96

$2.53 MX$46.71

64.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.94 ₪68.3

$7.30 MX$135

200.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.98 ₪49.72

$7.86 MX$145

103.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.51 ₪79.4

$12.79 MX$236

99.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 ₪10.99

$2.90 MX$53.6

21.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ₪6.21

$1.44 MX$26.53

38.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 ₪4.96

$2.55 MX$47.07

-37.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 ₪5.95

$2.06 MX$38.03

-7.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 ₪4.97

$2.00 MX$36.97

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ₪5.00

$2.01 MX$37.07

-19.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 ₪8.45

$1.19 MX$22.02

127.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₪8.22

$1.26 MX$23.23

109.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.46 ₪44.99

$4.40 MX$81.4

228.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 ₪35.13

$9.59 MX$177

17.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₪7.05

$1.59 MX$29.41

42.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₪4.13

$2.81 MX$51.9

-52.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 ₪7.22

$0.57 MX$10.47

307.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 ₪267

$27.82 MX$514

208.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 ₪13.68

$4.98 MX$92.1

-11.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 ₪3.42

$3.50 MX$64.6

-68.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.62 ₪61.0

$5.40 MX$99.8

263.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.60 ₪8.10

$1.47 MX$27.08

76.87%

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

$56.1K ₪174.6K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

167.46%

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

$56.7K ₪176.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

137.15%

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

$438 ₪1,363

$84.2 MX$1,556

420.12%

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

$11.28 ₪35.10

$23.99 MX$443

-52.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.45 ₪110

$29.02 MX$536

22.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.6 ₪257

$63.0 MX$1,164

31.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 ₪48.38

$4.94 MX$91.3

214.78%

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

$1,677 ₪5,216

$204 MX$3,763

723.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K ₪97.5K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

695.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 ₪387

$43.60 MX$806

185.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$85.4 ₪266

$43.12 MX$797

97.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₪352

$75.8 MX$1,400

49.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$193 ₪601

$88.6 MX$1,637

118.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 ₪4,634

$1,008 MX$18.6K

47.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 ₪3,560

$374 MX$6,911

205.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,317 ₪7,208

$1,708 MX$31.6K

35.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ₪5,755

$1,106 MX$20.4K

67.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K ₪32.9K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

168.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,075 ₪28.2K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

47.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,804 ₪8,725

$754 MX$13.9K

271.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.03

11.45

-56.07%

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

Last update for Eilat: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Eilat

$1.1K 38.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 67.3% $770

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eilat

$485 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 71.7% $348

Groceries & Markets

Eilat

$456 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 43.4% $198

Eating Out

Eilat

$442 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 54.2% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Eilat

$232 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 51.3% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Eilat

$114 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 35.9% $41

Getting Around

Eilat

$105 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 49.9% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,490 in Eilat and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eilat pays 272% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $132 in Eilat vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Eilat

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

8 h behind Eilat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,618

149,923

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Eilat Playa del Carmen 11,670 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Eilat
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

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

Eilat and Playa del Carmen differ by about 146% in total monthly costs ($2,978 vs $1,210 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 272% higher in Eilat, 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: $1,490 in Eilat versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 209% less than in Eilat. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,677 in Eilat versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,978 in Eilat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Eilat. 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.

Safety-wise, Eilat and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Eilat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.