Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Cairo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in New Cairo: $677 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in New Cairo
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New Cairo Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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New Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$677

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $677 in New Cairo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

New Cairo $677
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,026 in New Cairo versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

New Cairo $1,026
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,375 in New Cairo versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

New Cairo $1,375
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in New Cairo costs roughly 44% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: New Cairo 50% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.44 E£304

$10.92 MX$205

-50.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.75 E£1,329

$43.37 MX$814

-45.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.48 E£307

$11.78 MX$221

-53.48%

Cappuccino

$1.94 E£108

$3.81 MX$71.5

-49.08%

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

$0.36 E£20.21

$1.28 MX$24.07

-71.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£7.39

$0.78 MX$14.70

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 E£152

$3.17 MX$59.5

-14.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 E£173

$4.93 MX$92.7

-37.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 E£50.7

$1.41 MX$26.40

-35.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 E£55.0

$2.22 MX$41.62

-55.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£41.34

$1.42 MX$26.61

-47.89%

Eggs

$1.34 E£75.1

$2.52 MX$47.36

-46.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.04 E£226

$7.26 MX$136

-44.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 E£274

$7.70 MX$144

-36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.05 E£450

$12.69 MX$238

-36.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 E£90.4

$2.78 MX$52.3

-42.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 E£38.73

$1.37 MX$25.68

-49.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.50 E£27.95

$2.55 MX$47.89

-80.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.53

$2.12 MX$39.86

-83.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 E£18.48

$1.94 MX$36.39

-82.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 E£26.80

$1.89 MX$35.41

-74.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.19 E£10.71

$1.15 MX$21.53

-83.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£11.18

$1.18 MX$22.13

-83.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£103

$4.30 MX$80.6

-56.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.11 E£510

$9.95 MX$187

-8.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 E£70.6

$1.58 MX$29.73

-20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 E£109

$2.67 MX$50.1

-27.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 E£8.95

$0.55 MX$10.39

-70.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 E£28.34

$4.97 MX$93.3

-89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 E£10.09

$3.33 MX$62.5

-94.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 E£203

$5.36 MX$101

-32.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£24.07

$1.44 MX$27.11

-70.14%

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

$29.9K E£1.7M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

44.71%

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

$24.8K E£1.4M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

5.53%

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

$38.48 E£2,153

$84.8 MX$1,592

-54.62%

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

$9.12 E£510

$23.41 MX$439

-61.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.53 E£757

$28.66 MX$538

-52.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.42 E£1,534

$57.1 MX$1,071

-51.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.80 E£324

$28.91 MX$543

-79.94%

Cinema Ticket

$3.11 E£174

$5.14 MX$96.5

-39.49%

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

$168 E£9,424

$207 MX$3,878

-18.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,338 E£242.7K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

10.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.59 E£2,383

$43.35 MX$814

-1.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 E£2,840

$41.44 MX$778

22.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 E£5,971

$74.2 MX$1,393

43.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 E£2,954

$89.3 MX$1,676

-40.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 E£16.2K

$980 MX$18.4K

-70.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 E£12.5K

$381 MX$7,150

-41.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 E£28.2K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-70.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 E£18.7K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-68.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,115 E£62.4K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-71.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$629 E£35.2K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-89.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$177 E£9,900

$735 MX$13.8K

-75.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

11.45

-0.44%

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

Last update for New Cairo: 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

New Cairo

$224 33.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.2% $157

Groceries & Markets

New Cairo

$138 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 85.3% $117

Clothing & Footwear

New Cairo

$114 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 1.8% $2.1

Eating Out

New Cairo

$105 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 92.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Cairo

$61 9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 124% $76

Sport & Entertainment

New Cairo

$34 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 100% $34

Getting Around

New Cairo

$2.1 * 0.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2361% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $289 in New Cairo and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in New Cairo vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $138 vs $255 per month, with New Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 New Cairo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

20:47 8:47 PM

7 h behind New Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

298,343

149,923

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.47 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Cairo Playa del Carmen 11,360 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

New Cairo
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

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

New Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making New Cairo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in New Cairo. 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: $289 in New Cairo versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $677 per month in New Cairo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – New Cairo is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $677 in New Cairo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in New Cairo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes New Cairo 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.

It comes down to priorities – New Cairo wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.