Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Abalessa

For one person, living is cheaper in Abalessa: $525 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Abalessa
Learn more

Abalessa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Abalessa

🇩🇿 Algeria

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Abalessa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Abalessa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $525 in Abalessa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Abalessa $525

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $839 in Abalessa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Abalessa $839

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,153 in Abalessa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Abalessa $1,153

Playa del Carmen costs about 129% more than Abalessa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Abalessa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Abalessa 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$3.63 DZD 491

200.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$15.45 DZD 2,088

180.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.37 DZD 456

249.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$0.62 DZD 83.2

514.52%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$0.62 DZD 83.9

106.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.25 DZD 33.31

212.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$1.67 DZD 226

89.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$2.30 DZD 311

114.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$0.80 DZD 108

76.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$0.12 DZD 16.10

1750.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.30 DZD 175

9.23%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$1.04 DZD 140

142.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.95 DZD 939

4.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.61 DZD 489

113.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$12.56 DZD 1,698

1.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$2.13 DZD 288

30.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$2.77 DZD 374

-50.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.05 DZD 142

142.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$0.82 DZD 110

158.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$0.58 DZD 78.5

234.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$0.47 DZD 63.2

302.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$0.77 DZD 105

49.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.28 DZD 37.92

321.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$2.87 DZD 388

49.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.54 DZD 883

52.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.36 DZD 184

16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.13 DZD 288

25.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.23 DZD 31.70

139.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$7.08 DZD 957

275.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$0.64 DZD 86.8

676.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.44 DZD 59.9

656.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$5.00 DZD 676

7.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.31 DZD 42.08

364.52%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$29.0K DZD 3.9M

-28.69%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$37.3K DZD 5.0M

-37.01%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$35.70 DZD 4,825

137.51%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$10.32 DZD 1,395

126.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$12.33 DZD 1,667

132.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$20.78 DZD 2,808

174.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$4.41 DZD 596

16.55%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$334 DZD 45.1K

-38.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$4,930 DZD 666.3K

-20.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$33.29 DZD 4,499

30.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$35.88 DZD 4,850

15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$73.4 DZD 9,919

1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$79.5 DZD 10.7K

12.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$128 DZD 17.3K

664.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$99.1 DZD 13.4K

284.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$272 DZD 36.8K

527.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$195 DZD 26.3K

452.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$1,070 DZD 144.6K

268.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,084 DZD 146.6K

467.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.3

116.04%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Abalessa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Abalessa

$99 18.9% 74% $282

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Abalessa

$164 31.2% 35.7% $91

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Abalessa

$63 12% 68.9% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Abalessa

$58 11.1% 57.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Abalessa

$100 19% 10.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Abalessa

$30 5.6% 56% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Abalessa

$11 2.1% 78.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $128 in Abalessa. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $15 in Abalessa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $164 – making Abalessa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇿 Abalessa

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

6,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Abalessa 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Abalessa

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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 129% more than Abalessa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $787 in Abalessa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abalessa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $15 in Abalessa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Abalessa, where all-in costs run around $525, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Abalessa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $525 in Abalessa to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Abalessa is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 56% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.