Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Faiyum and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in El Faiyum: $445 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in El Faiyum
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El Faiyum Living Index
59

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

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El Faiyum

🇪🇬 Egypt

$445

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $445 in El Faiyum versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

El Faiyum $445
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $710 in El Faiyum versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

El Faiyum $710
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $975 in El Faiyum versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

El Faiyum $975
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in El Faiyum costs roughly 63% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: El Faiyum 67% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 E£123

$10.76 MX$199

-78.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.04 E£696

$43.03 MX$795

-69.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.40 E£182

$11.79 MX$218

-71.16%

Cappuccino

$1.26 E£67.2

$3.87 MX$71.4

-67.44%

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

$0.27 E£14.30

$1.37 MX$25.29

-80.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.09 E£4.86

$0.84 MX$15.44

-89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 E£49.52

$3.10 MX$57.3

-70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 E£123

$5.07 MX$93.6

-54.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 E£38.33

$1.44 MX$26.55

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 E£35.42

$2.23 MX$41.23

-70.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 E£32.89

$1.47 MX$27.17

-57.82%

Eggs

$1.18 E£63.0

$2.53 MX$46.71

-53.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.18 E£170

$7.30 MX$135

-56.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 E£232

$7.86 MX$145

-44.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 E£360

$12.79 MX$236

-47.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 E£82.4

$2.90 MX$53.6

-46.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.58 E£31.15

$1.44 MX$26.53

-59.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.53 E£28.21

$2.55 MX$47.07

-79.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.33 E£17.52

$2.06 MX$38.03

-83.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£13.91

$2.00 MX$36.97

-87.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£15.83

$2.01 MX$37.07

-85.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.25

$1.19 MX$22.02

-78.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.74

$1.26 MX$23.23

-82.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 E£97.5

$4.40 MX$81.4

-58.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 E£296

$9.59 MX$177

-42.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 E£66.1

$1.59 MX$29.41

-22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 E£104

$2.81 MX$51.9

-30.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.06 E£3.23

$0.57 MX$10.47

-89.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.82 E£311

$27.82 MX$514

-79.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.36 E£19.40

$4.98 MX$92.1

-92.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 E£14.42

$3.50 MX$64.6

-92.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 E£65.0

$5.40 MX$99.8

-77.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 E£23.67

$1.47 MX$27.08

-70.07%

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

$31.5K E£1.7M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

49.97%

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

$27.0K E£1.4M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

12.74%

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

$14.12 E£754

$84.2 MX$1,556

-83.23%

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

$6.99 E£373

$23.99 MX$443

-70.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.44 E£718

$29.02 MX$536

-53.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.39 E£1,463

$63.0 MX$1,164

-56.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$2.27 E£121

$4.94 MX$91.3

-54.05%

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

$23.39 E£1,249

$204 MX$3,763

-88.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$847 E£45.2K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-78.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.38 E£1,782

$43.60 MX$806

-23.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.77 E£2,444

$43.12 MX$797

6.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 E£6,909

$75.8 MX$1,400

70.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.6 E£3,021

$88.6 MX$1,637

-36.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$168 E£8,946

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-83.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.7 E£4,472

$374 MX$6,911

-77.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 E£14.3K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-84.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 E£8,313

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-85.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$438 E£23.4K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-88.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$228 E£12.2K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-96.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$70.3 E£3,753

$754 MX$13.9K

-90.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-47.60%

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

Last update for El Faiyum: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

El Faiyum

$119 26.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 5.3% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

El Faiyum

$114 25.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 127% $145

Accommodation & Living

El Faiyum

$84 18.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 347% $290

Eating Out

El Faiyum

$54 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 272% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Faiyum

$35 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 297% $103

Sport & Entertainment

El Faiyum

$32 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 128% $41

Getting Around

El Faiyum

$7.8 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 576% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $168 in El Faiyum and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 973% 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: $13.00 in El Faiyum vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $114 vs $258 per month, with El Faiyum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 El Faiyum

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

18:58 6:58 PM

8 h behind El Faiyum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

306,393

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 19, 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 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

El Faiyum Playa del Carmen 11,350 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

El Faiyum
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

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

El Faiyum is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 172% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 973% lower in Playa del Carmen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $168 in El Faiyum 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 El Faiyum runs roughly 378% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $23.39 in El Faiyum versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $445 in El Faiyum versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in El Faiyum but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes El Faiyum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, El Faiyum is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, El Faiyum 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 El Faiyum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 172% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.