Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Aja

For one person, living is cheaper in Aja: $434 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Aja
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Aja Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Aja

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Aja actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $434 in Aja, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Aja $434

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $700 in Aja, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Aja $700

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $966 in Aja, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Aja $966

Playa del Carmen costs about 178% more than Aja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Aja are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Aja 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$3.89 E£217

179.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$827

$15.29 E£853

189.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$220

$4.67 E£261

151.82%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.9

$1.25 E£69.6

194.40%

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

$1.34 MX$25.11

$0.32 E£17.97

318.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.44

$0.11 E£6.41

645.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$1.32 E£73.4

131.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.4

$2.87 E£160

72.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$0.80 E£44.55

83.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.47

$0.71 E£39.66

212.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.67

$0.62 E£34.70

138.71%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.59

$1.21 E£67.4

105.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$141

$3.26 E£182

130.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$149

$4.01 E£223

98.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$7.95 E£443

58.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$1.51 E£84.5

84.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$0.64 E£35.80

123.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.99

$0.49 E£27.13

434.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.99

$0.33 E£18.14

548.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.86

$0.34 E£19.13

494.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.21

$0.31 E£17.13

541.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.28

$0.25 E£13.88

356.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.46

$0.17 E£9.33

605.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.7

$1.92 E£107

121.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$6.30 E£351

59.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$1.23 E£68.7

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.80

$2.02 E£112

31.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.85

$0.20 E£11.12

165.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.8

$0.36 E£20.17

1261.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.3

$0.16 E£9.19

2043.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$101

$1.22 E£67.8

340.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.10

$0.46 E£25.42

215.22%

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

$21.2K MX$396.0K

$31.6K E£1.8M

-32.95%

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

$23.0K MX$430.8K

$24.9K E£1.4M

-7.39%

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

$85.4 MX$1,598

$14.99 E£836

469.45%

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

$23.46 MX$439

$7.02 E£392

234.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$532

$13.55 E£756

109.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,164

$16.16 E£901

284.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.5

$2.78 E£155

83.45%

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

$201 MX$3,763

$87.4 E£4,875

130.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.9K

$1,900 E£105.9K

107.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$831

$17.08 E£953

159.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$774

$43.98 E£2,453

-5.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,362

$115 E£6,420

-36.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,677

$56.1 E£3,129

59.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$131 E£7,287

649.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,976

$77.0 E£4,294

384.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.5K

$255 E£14.2K

559.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.5K

$146 E£8,164

648.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.9K

$755 E£42.1K

423.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.9K

$347 E£19.3K

1669.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

16.21

-29.36%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Aja: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Aja

$77 17.8% 79.3% $296

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Aja

$119 27.3% 54.1% $140

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Aja

$74 17.1% 62.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Aja

$36 8.2% 74.1% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Aja

$105 24.1% 6.4% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Aja

$22 5% 70% $51

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Aja

$2 * 0.5% 96.2% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $131 in Aja. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $15 in Aja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $119 – making Aja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Aja

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

47,013

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Aja 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Aja

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 Aja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 178% more than Aja, 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 $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $650 in Aja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $131 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $434 in Aja. That’s a gap of about 178%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $87 in Aja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Aja, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Aja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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