Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mersa Matruh and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index
59

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

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Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $457
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $749 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $749
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,040 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $1,040
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Mersa Matruh is about 62% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mersa Matruh and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Mersa Matruh 66% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.20 E£234

$10.86 MX$203

-61.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.05 E£1,062

$44.21 MX$827

-56.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 E£264

$11.76 MX$220

-59.86%

Cappuccino

$1.27 E£70.6

$3.68 MX$68.9

-65.49%

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

$0.33 E£18.14

$1.34 MX$25.11

-75.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.01

$0.82 MX$15.44

-86.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 E£75.8

$3.06 MX$57.3

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 E£156

$4.94 MX$92.4

-43.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.65

$1.47 MX$27.52

-40.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 E£37.07

$2.22 MX$41.47

-70.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 E£36.07

$1.48 MX$27.67

-56.08%

Eggs

$1.19 E£66.1

$2.49 MX$46.59

-52.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.80 E£212

$7.52 MX$141

-49.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 E£237

$7.96 MX$149

-46.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 E£515

$12.57 MX$235

-26.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 E£86.1

$2.78 MX$52.0

-44.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£41.82

$1.43 MX$26.71

-47.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£30.85

$2.62 MX$48.99

-79.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.76

$2.14 MX$39.99

-83.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£14.59

$2.02 MX$37.86

-87.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.70

$1.99 MX$37.21

-84.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£15.19

$1.14 MX$21.28

-76.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.99

$1.20 MX$22.46

-81.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£103

$4.26 MX$79.7

-56.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 E£316

$10.02 MX$187

-43.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 E£69.6

$1.54 MX$28.77

-18.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 E£127

$2.66 MX$49.80

-14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.72

$0.53 MX$9.85

-60.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.56 E£31.13

$4.90 MX$91.8

-88.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 E£9.23

$3.43 MX$64.3

-95.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 E£67.1

$5.38 MX$101

-77.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£24.06

$1.45 MX$27.10

-70.34%

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

$32.5K E£1.8M

$21.2K MX$396.0K

53.52%

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

$27.1K E£1.5M

$23.0K MX$430.8K

17.62%

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

$14.05 E£784

$85.4 MX$1,598

-83.54%

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

$6.68 E£373

$23.46 MX$439

-71.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.50 E£753

$28.43 MX$532

-52.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.88 E£885

$62.2 MX$1,164

-74.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 E£162

$5.10 MX$95.5

-42.94%

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

$85.0 E£4,740

$201 MX$3,763

-57.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,090 E£116.6K

$3,947 MX$73.9K

-47.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.72 E£1,881

$44.39 MX$831

-24.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.91 E£2,560

$41.35 MX$774

11.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 E£7,112

$72.7 MX$1,362

75.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.4 E£3,202

$89.6 MX$1,677

-35.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 E£7,152

$979 MX$18.3K

-86.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.7 E£4,278

$373 MX$6,976

-79.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 E£14.3K

$1,681 MX$31.5K

-84.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 E£8,048

$1,095 MX$20.5K

-86.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$772 E£43.0K

$3,949 MX$73.9K

-80.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$354 E£19.7K

$6,137 MX$114.9K

-94.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$94.2 E£5,253

$738 MX$13.8K

-87.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

11.45

86.29%

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

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 105% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Mersa Matruh

$119 26%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.2% $7.4

Eating Out

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 160% $123

Accommodation & Living

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 386% $296

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 301% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 234% $51

Getting Around

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 2218% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Mersa Matruh versus $979 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.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $258 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

8 h behind Mersa Matruh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mersa Matruh Playa del Carmen 10,940 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mersa Matruh
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 163% more than Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $686 per month in Mersa Matruh 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 Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 104% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Mersa Matruh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.