Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Oued and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in El Oued: $524 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in El Oued
Learn more

El Oued Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

El Oued

🇩🇿 Algeria

$524

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $524 in El Oued versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

El Oued $524
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $859 in El Oued versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

El Oued $859
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,194 in El Oued versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

El Oued $1,194
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in El Oued costs roughly 56% 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 Oued 61% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.85 DZD 386

$10.67 MX$199

-73.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.88 DZD 2,691

$43.80 MX$815

-54.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 DZD 572

$11.79 MX$219

-64.12%

Cappuccino

$1.26 DZD 170

$3.79 MX$70.5

-66.75%

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

$1.13 DZD 153

$1.30 MX$24.14

-13.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 DZD 69.6

$0.83 MX$15.51

-38.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 DZD 206

$3.15 MX$58.6

-51.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 DZD 302

$4.93 MX$91.8

-54.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 DZD 120

$1.41 MX$26.22

-37.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.16 DZD 21.62

$2.20 MX$40.86

-92.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 DZD 149

$1.47 MX$27.40

-25.17%

Eggs

$1.23 DZD 167

$2.50 MX$46.46

-50.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 DZD 1,057

$7.29 MX$136

7.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 DZD 529

$7.95 MX$148

-50.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 DZD 1,927

$12.86 MX$239

10.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 DZD 274

$2.90 MX$53.9

-30.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 DZD 382

$1.38 MX$25.74

104.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 DZD 143

$2.49 MX$46.35

-57.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 DZD 123

$2.03 MX$37.77

-55.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 DZD 84.6

$2.02 MX$37.68

-68.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 DZD 61.0

$1.90 MX$35.42

-76.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 DZD 103

$1.14 MX$21.30

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 DZD 34.17

$1.24 MX$23.05

-79.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 DZD 366

$4.27 MX$79.5

-36.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 DZD 840

$9.81 MX$183

-36.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 DZD 149

$1.59 MX$29.51

-30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 DZD 257

$2.75 MX$51.1

-30.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 DZD 30.82

$0.51 MX$9.58

-54.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.02 DZD 950

$27.39 MX$510

-74.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 DZD 77.7

$4.76 MX$88.6

-88.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 DZD 55.1

$3.25 MX$60.5

-87.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 DZD 719

$5.39 MX$100

-1.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.32 DZD 43.95

$1.53 MX$28.44

-79.08%

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

$31.7K DZD 4.3M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

49.53%

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

$34.7K DZD 4.7M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

49.16%

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

$36.65 DZD 4,961

$83.5 MX$1,554

-56.10%

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

$9.37 DZD 1,269

$23.19 MX$431

-59.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.74 DZD 1,589

$27.61 MX$514

-57.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.11 DZD 2,992

$56.4 MX$1,050

-60.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 DZD 606

$5.00 MX$93.1

-10.40%

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

$336 DZD 45.4K

$207 MX$3,854

62.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K DZD 1.4M

$5,231 MX$97.3K

96.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.04 DZD 4,337

$43.45 MX$809

-26.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.41 DZD 4,658

$42.54 MX$792

-19.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.8 DZD 8,906

$72.8 MX$1,354

-9.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 DZD 9,939

$88.4 MX$1,645

-16.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 DZD 19.3K

$995 MX$18.5K

-85.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$90.6 DZD 12.3K

$382 MX$7,116

-76.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 DZD 36.8K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-83.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 DZD 26.7K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-81.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$970 DZD 131.3K

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-75.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$918 DZD 124.2K

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-85.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 DZD 35.1K

$832 MX$15.5K

-68.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

11.45

-53.71%

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

Last update for El Oued: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

El Oued

$172 32.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 49.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

El Oued

$93 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 20.1% $19

Accommodation & Living

El Oued

$91 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 322% $292

Eating Out

El Oued

$69 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 189% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Oued

$58 11%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 132% $77

Sport & Entertainment

El Oued

$31 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 114% $35

Getting Around

El Oued

$11 2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 379% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $142 in El Oued and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in El Oued vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $257 per month, with El Oued cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇿 El Oued

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

6 h behind El Oued

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,699

149,923

💱 Currency

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to DZD – Algerian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇿 Algerian Dinar (د.ج)

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 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 DZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Oued Playa del Carmen 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $524 in El Oued and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so El Oued is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in El Oued. 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: $142 in El Oued versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $336 in El Oued versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $524 in El Oued versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in El Oued but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes El Oued 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.

Expats usually find El Oued gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.