Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Algiers

For one person, living is cheaper in Algiers: $585 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Algiers
Learn more

Algiers Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Algiers

🇩🇿 Algeria

$585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $585 in Algiers.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Algiers $585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $962 in Algiers.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Algiers $962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,339 in Algiers.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Algiers $1,339

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 106% more expensive than in Algiers, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Algiers 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.31 DZD 446

229.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$27.66 DZD 3,724

56.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.34 DZD 585

171.43%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.12 DZD 151

240.18%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.58 DZD 78.7

120.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.27 DZD 35.90

188.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.29 DZD 308

38.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.28 DZD 307

116.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.84 DZD 112

67.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.14 DZD 18.26

1485.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.16 DZD 156

22.41%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.19 DZD 160

111.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.12 DZD 1,093

-10.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.97 DZD 535

93.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$14.15 DZD 1,905

-10.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.01 DZD 270

38.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.74 DZD 369

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.12 DZD 150

127.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.90 DZD 121

135.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.59 DZD 79.3

228.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.45 DZD 60.3

320.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.75 DZD 101

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.27 DZD 36.71

337.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.14 DZD 422

36.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.87 DZD 925

44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.26 DZD 170

25.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.91 DZD 257

39.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.39 DZD 53.1

41.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$6.68 DZD 899

298.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.54 DZD 73.4

820.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.44 DZD 58.8

656.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$5.72 DZD 771

-6.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.33 DZD 44.34

336.36%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$35.1K DZD 4.7M

-41.08%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$34.6K DZD 4.7M

-32.18%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$43.80 DZD 5,898

93.58%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$9.85 DZD 1,326

137.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$12.48 DZD 1,681

129.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$24.66 DZD 3,321

131.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$27.77 DZD 3,740

4.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$4.48 DZD 603

14.73%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$564 DZD 76.0K

-63.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$6,274 DZD 844.8K

-37.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$31.69 DZD 4,267

36.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$34.81 DZD 4,688

19.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$69.8 DZD 9,399

6.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$80.7 DZD 10.9K

10.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$163 DZD 22.0K

500.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$130 DZD 17.5K

192.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$433 DZD 58.3K

294.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$239 DZD 32.2K

349.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,550 DZD 343.4K

54.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,334 DZD 179.7K

361.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$327 DZD 44.0K

124.61%

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 Algiers: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Algiers

$130 22.2% 65.8% $251

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Algiers

$174 29.8% 31.7% $81

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Algiers

$72 12.4% 64.2% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Algiers

$66 11.3% 51.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Algiers

$98 16.7% 12.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Algiers

$34 5.8% 50.1% $34

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Algiers

$11 1.9% 78.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $163 in Algiers. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $28 in Algiers for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $174 per month, with Algiers cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇿 Algiers

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,415,811 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.67 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Algiers 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Algiers

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 Algiers: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Algiers is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $163 in Algiers. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Algiers – a meal for two runs $28 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $585 in Algiers – Algiers is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $585 in Algiers versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Algiers but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Algiers 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.

Expats usually find Algiers gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.