Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Giza and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Giza: $479 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Giza
Learn more

Giza Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Giza

🇪🇬 Egypt

$479

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $479 in Giza versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Giza $479
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $757 in Giza versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Giza $757
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,034 in Giza versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Giza $1,034
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Giza costs roughly 60% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Giza 64% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 E£218

$10.76 MX$199

-62.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.21 E£759

$43.03 MX$795

-66.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 E£258

$11.79 MX$218

-59.03%

Cappuccino

$1.24 E£66.3

$3.87 MX$71.4

-67.96%

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

$0.38 E£20.10

$1.37 MX$25.29

-72.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£7.62

$0.84 MX$15.44

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 E£80.2

$3.10 MX$57.3

-51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 E£149

$5.07 MX$93.6

-45.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 E£45.12

$1.44 MX$26.55

-41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.34 E£18.36

$2.23 MX$41.23

-84.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 E£35.83

$1.47 MX$27.17

-54.42%

Eggs

$1.36 E£72.8

$2.53 MX$46.71

-46.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.49 E£133

$7.30 MX$135

-65.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 E£195

$7.86 MX$145

-53.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 E£409

$12.79 MX$236

-40.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 E£80.9

$2.90 MX$53.6

-47.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 E£30.34

$1.44 MX$26.53

-60.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.39 E£21.01

$2.55 MX$47.07

-84.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.31 E£16.76

$2.06 MX$38.03

-84.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.23

$2.00 MX$36.97

-78.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.59

$2.01 MX$37.07

-79.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£14.32

$1.19 MX$22.02

-77.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.43

$1.26 MX$23.23

-83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 E£99.8

$4.40 MX$81.4

-57.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.89 E£261

$9.59 MX$177

-49.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 E£54.6

$1.59 MX$29.41

-35.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 E£83.7

$2.81 MX$51.9

-44.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.71

$0.57 MX$10.47

-42.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.14 E£435

$27.82 MX$514

-70.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.27 E£14.40

$4.98 MX$92.1

-94.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 E£21.29

$3.50 MX$64.6

-88.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 E£98.7

$5.40 MX$99.8

-65.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£24.19

$1.47 MX$27.08

-69.39%

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

$31.6K E£1.7M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

50.48%

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

$25.0K E£1.3M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

4.65%

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

$15.16 E£809

$84.2 MX$1,556

-82.00%

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

$6.91 E£369

$23.99 MX$443

-71.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.59 E£1,367

$29.02 MX$536

-11.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.37 E£981

$63.0 MX$1,164

-70.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.72 E£359

$29.14 MX$539

-76.94%

Cinema Ticket

$3.74 E£200

$4.94 MX$91.3

-24.29%

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

$86.6 E£4,622

$204 MX$3,763

-57.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,386 E£127.4K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-39.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.28 E£549

$43.60 MX$806

-76.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 E£2,549

$43.12 MX$797

10.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$158 E£8,438

$75.8 MX$1,400

108.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 E£2,933

$88.6 MX$1,637

-38.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$155 E£8,265

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-84.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$88.3 E£4,713

$374 MX$6,911

-76.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$328 E£17.5K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-80.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 E£8,153

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-86.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$579 E£30.9K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-85.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$285 E£15.2K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-95.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$146 E£7,779

$754 MX$13.9K

-80.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

11.45

96.51%

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

Last update for Giza: October 12, 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

Giza

$122 25.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 7.3% $8.9

Groceries & Markets

Giza

$107 22.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 142% $152

Accommodation & Living

Giza

$88 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 324% $286

Eating Out

Giza

$77 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 162% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Giza

$48 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 188% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Giza

$26 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 182% $47

Getting Around

Giza

$12 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 348% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $155 in Giza and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 418% 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: $14.00 in Giza vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $107 vs $258 per month, with Giza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Giza

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

8 h behind Giza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,681,863

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Giza Playa del Carmen 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Giza
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

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

Giza is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 153% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 418% 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: $155 in Giza 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 Giza runs roughly 242% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $86.6 in Giza versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $479 in Giza versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Giza but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Giza the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Giza 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, Giza 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 Giza gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.