Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $611 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $611 in Cairo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cairo $611

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $970 in Cairo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cairo $970

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,329 in Cairo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cairo $1,329

Playa del Carmen costs about 97% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cairo 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.51 E£252

142.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$27.00 E£1,511

60.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.34 E£299

120.60%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.72 E£96.0

121.51%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.34 E£19.06

276.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.14 E£8.08

457.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.39 E£77.8

128.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.15 E£120

129.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.87 E£48.56

62.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.76 E£42.45

192.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$0.63 E£35.10

125.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.09 E£60.9

131.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$3.74 E£209

94.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.61 E£258

67.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$8.42 E£471

50.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.69 E£94.4

64.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$0.68 E£38.19

101.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$0.56 E£31.12

355.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.47 E£26.17

351.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.38 E£21.53

410.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.39 E£21.81

384.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.33 E£18.73

248.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.22 E£12.32

436.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.85 E£104

132.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.24 E£405

37.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.42 E£79.3

11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.98 E£111

34.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.31 E£17.31

77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$7.17 E£401

271.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.35 E£19.46

1320.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.19 E£10.87

1652.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$1.46 E£81.5

267.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.40 E£22.36

260.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$32.3K E£1.8M

-36.05%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$24.9K E£1.4M

-5.58%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$26.70 E£1,494

217.57%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$7.51 E£420

211.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$14.02 E£785

104.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$27.01 E£1,511

111.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$7.15 E£400

304.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$4.41 E£247

16.55%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$117 E£6,524

77.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$3,269 E£182.9K

20.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$37.71 E£2,110

14.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$47.61 E£2,664

-12.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$109 E£6,108

-32.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$55.6 E£3,113

60.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$203 E£11.4K

381.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$188 E£10.5K

102.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$524 E£29.3K

225.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$318 E£17.8K

238.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$793 E£44.4K

396.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$484 E£27.1K

1173.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$185 E£10.3K

297.59%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cairo

$188 30.7% 50.7% $193

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cairo

$131 21.5% 48.5% $124

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cairo

$86 14.1% 57.6% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cairo

$48 7.9% 64.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cairo

$113 18.4% 0.8% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cairo

$36 5.9% 46.8% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cairo

$9.7 1.6% 80.7% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $203 in Cairo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $27 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $131 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

12:08 12:08 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.47 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cairo 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 97%, 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 $917 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $203 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 94% 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 $27 in Cairo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $611, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.