Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elad and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,040 in Elad, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Elad
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Elad Living Index
58

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

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Elad

🇮🇱 Israel

$3,040

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,040 per month in Elad vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Elad $3,040
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,245 per month in Elad vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Elad $4,245
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,450 per month in Elad vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Elad $5,450
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Elad costs about 152% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Elad sits 123% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.87 ₪71.8

$10.92 MX$205

109.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 ₪311

$43.37 MX$814

128.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.62 ₪64.7

$11.78 MX$221

75.04%

Cappuccino

$4.71 ₪14.79

$3.81 MX$71.5

23.62%

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

$2.89 ₪9.07

$1.28 MX$24.07

125.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ₪6.78

$0.78 MX$14.70

176.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.23 ₪35.25

$3.17 MX$59.5

254.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.57 ₪30.04

$4.93 MX$92.7

94.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₪7.46

$1.41 MX$26.40

68.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 ₪8.28

$2.22 MX$41.62

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 ₪8.18

$1.42 MX$26.61

83.80%

Eggs

$5.27 ₪16.55

$2.52 MX$47.36

109.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.72 ₪68.2

$7.26 MX$136

199.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.29 ₪44.84

$7.70 MX$144

85.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.65 ₪80.5

$12.69 MX$238

102.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 ₪14.88

$2.78 MX$52.3

70.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.88 ₪12.17

$1.37 MX$25.68

183.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 ₪7.84

$2.55 MX$47.89

-1.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 ₪10.30

$2.12 MX$39.86

54.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ₪5.25

$1.94 MX$36.39

-13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ₪5.81

$1.89 MX$35.41

-2.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 ₪8.57

$1.15 MX$21.53

137.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₪4.65

$1.18 MX$22.13

25.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.72 ₪46.20

$4.30 MX$80.6

242.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 ₪39.85

$9.95 MX$187

27.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₪8.97

$1.58 MX$29.73

81.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 ₪7.93

$2.67 MX$50.1

-5.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 ₪8.11

$0.55 MX$10.39

369.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 ₪352

$26.62 MX$500

320.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 ₪13.51

$4.97 MX$93.3

-13.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ₪3.60

$3.33 MX$62.5

-65.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.80 ₪62.2

$5.36 MX$101

269.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.55 ₪8.00

$1.44 MX$27.11

77.08%

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

$55.4K ₪173.8K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

168.06%

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

$54.6K ₪171.2K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

132.52%

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

$442 ₪1,387

$84.8 MX$1,592

421.09%

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

$11.20 ₪35.16

$23.41 MX$439

-52.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.76 ₪112

$28.66 MX$538

24.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₪217

$57.1 MX$1,071

20.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 ₪46.60

$5.14 MX$96.5

188.91%

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

$1,160 ₪3,640

$207 MX$3,878

461.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ₪77.6K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

529.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 ₪227

$43.35 MX$814

66.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.98 ₪125

$41.44 MX$778

-3.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 ₪439

$74.2 MX$1,393

88.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 ₪484

$89.3 MX$1,676

72.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 ₪5,280

$980 MX$18.4K

71.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 ₪4,047

$381 MX$7,150

238.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,228 ₪6,992

$1,708 MX$32.1K

30.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 ₪5,449

$1,075 MX$20.2K

61.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,921 ₪28.0K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

126.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,937 ₪24.9K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

28.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Elad: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elad

$1.3K 42.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.5% $909

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elad

$489 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 72% $352

Groceries & Markets

Elad

$451 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 43.5% $196

Eating Out

Elad

$397 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 49% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Elad

$183 6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 38.9% $71

Getting Around

Elad

$132 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 61.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Elad

$99 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 31.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,683 in Elad versus $980 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Elad versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $451 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Elad

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

22:57 10:57 PM

7 h behind Elad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,033

149,923

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.319 USD

1 ILS = 0.285 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.14 ILS (1 ILS = 0.319 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.285 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Elad Playa del Carmen 11,510 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Elad
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

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

Yes – Elad is pricier by about 152%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,560 per month in Elad 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,683 in Elad.

Groceries cost about 77% more in Elad, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Elad and $43 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 Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Elad at $3,040. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 60% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.