Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $452 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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $452 in Alexandria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Alexandria $452

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $750 in Alexandria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Alexandria $750

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,048 in Alexandria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Alexandria $1,048

Playa del Carmen costs about 166% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Alexandria are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Alexandria 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$4.22 E£225

157.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$18.66 E£996

136.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.74 E£253

148.10%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.26 E£67.3

192.06%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.30 E£15.96

346.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.12 E£6.31

583.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.33 E£70.9

130.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.74 E£146

80.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.84 E£44.97

75.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.71 E£37.73

212.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.58 E£30.74

155.17%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.10 E£59.0

126.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$3.66 E£195

105.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.19 E£224

89.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.17 E£490

37.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.46 E£77.7

90.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.78 E£41.63

83.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.51 E£27.48

413.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.34 E£18.27

529.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.24 E£12.77

741.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.30 E£15.98

563.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.27 E£14.47

322.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.22 E£11.93

445.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.86 E£99.6

129.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$5.62 E£300

78.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.16 E£61.9

32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.15 E£115

23.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.22 E£11.66

140.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$10.95 E£585

151.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.57 E£30.48

759.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.49 E£26.19

600.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$1.11 E£59.1

384.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.45 E£24.16

222.22%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$32.8K E£1.8M

-35.45%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$25.2K E£1.3M

-8.58%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$14.02 E£749

508.84%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$6.60 E£353

255.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$12.75 E£681

122.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$12.39 E£662

401.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$7.31 E£390

292.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$2.73 E£146

86.81%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$85.2 E£4,549

136.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$2,035 E£108.6K

94.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$32.61 E£1,741

36.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$45.28 E£2,418

-8.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$125 E£6,687

-41.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$54.9 E£2,933

63.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$131 E£7,020

644.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$69.3 E£3,702

437.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$279 E£14.9K

502.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$142 E£7,603

669.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$679 E£36.2K

481.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$431 E£23.0K

1324.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$137 E£7,313

438.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

21.33

-46.32%

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 Alexandria: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Alexandria

$69 15.3% 81.4% $303

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Alexandria

$124 27.4% 52.1% $135

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Alexandria

$77 17% 61.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Alexandria

$33 7.4% 75.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Alexandria

$116 25.7% 4% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Alexandria

$18 4% 75.3% $55

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Alexandria

$15 3.3% 71.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $131 in Alexandria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 439% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $124 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

15:36 3:36 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,546,231

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Alexandria 11,160 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 166% more than Alexandria, 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 $678 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $85.2 in Alexandria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 109% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $452, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandria costs $452 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Alexandria. 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.