Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Aswan

For one person, living is cheaper in Aswan: $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 Aswan
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Aswan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Aswan

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Aswan $434

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $701 in Aswan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Aswan $701

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $969 in Aswan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Aswan $969

Playa del Carmen costs about 177% more than Aswan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.88 E£207

179.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$14.90 E£796

196.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.69 E£250

150.75%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.31 E£70.0

180.92%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.30 E£15.98

346.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.14 E£7.36

485.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.30 E£69.2

135.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.88 E£154

71.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.87 E£46.25

68.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.65 E£34.78

241.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.58 E£31.05

155.17%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.20 E£64.2

107.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$3.24 E£173

132.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.08 E£218

95.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.85 E£419

60.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.47 E£78.3

89.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.67 E£35.88

113.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.49 E£26.11

434.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.35 E£18.89

511.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.34 E£18.31

494.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.33 E£17.85

503.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.25 E£13.21

356.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.17 E£8.83

605.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.87 E£99.8

127.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$6.32 E£338

58.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.20 E£64.0

28.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.00 E£107

33.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.18 E£9.69

194.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.40 E£21.12

1125.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.22 E£11.60

1459.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$1.19 E£63.8

352.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.45 E£24.21

222.22%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$31.9K E£1.7M

-33.65%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$25.1K E£1.3M

-8.12%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$15.10 E£806

465.30%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$6.64 E£354

253.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$13.16 E£703

116.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$16.36 E£874

280.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$4.78 E£255

500.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$2.93 E£157

74.06%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$86.6 E£4,622

132.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$1,865 E£99.6K

111.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$16.97 E£906

161.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$45.04 E£2,405

-8.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$115 E£6,132

-36.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$55.8 E£2,982

60.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$133 E£7,091

637.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$76.9 E£4,108

384.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$253 E£13.5K

564.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$144 E£7,713

658.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$767 E£40.9K

415.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$347 E£18.5K

1667.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

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 Aswan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Aswan

$77 17.7% 79.4% $296

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Aswan

$118 27.3% 54.2% $140

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Aswan

$75 17.2% 62.6% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Aswan

$35 8% 74.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Aswan

$105 24.1% 6.2% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Aswan

$22 5.1% 69.3% $50

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Aswan

$2.2 * 0.5% 95.7% $49

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 $133 in Aswan. 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $15.00 in Aswan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $118 – making Aswan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Aswan

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

14:38 2:38 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

241,261

💱 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 Aswan 11,840 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Aswan

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 Aswan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 177%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $651 in Aswan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $15.00 in Aswan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 118% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aswan, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Aswan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Aswan. 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.