Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Damietta

For one person, living is cheaper in Damietta: $329 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Damietta
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Damietta Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Damietta

🇪🇬 Egypt

$329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $329 in Damietta.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Damietta $329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $556 in Damietta.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Damietta $556

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $783 in Damietta.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Damietta $783

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 267% more expensive than in Damietta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Damietta 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$4.13 E£221

162.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$11.00 E£588

301.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.51 E£241

160.75%

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£16.00

346.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.13 E£6.77

530.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.27 E£67.8

140.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.85 E£152

73.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.67 E£35.70

119.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.29 E£15.54

665.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.62 E£33.03

138.71%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.16 E£62.2

114.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$2.21 E£118

240.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.43 E£130

227.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.07 E£431

55.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.45 E£77.4

91.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.68 E£36.13

110.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.48 E£25.88

445.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.23 E£12.33

830.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.24 E£12.69

741.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.26 E£13.81

665.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.24 E£12.72

375.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.15 E£8.27

700.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.73 E£92.4

146.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$5.60 E£299

78.93%

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

$1.64 E£87.6

62.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.08 E£4.48

562.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$3.91 E£209

603.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.35 E£18.92

1300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.17 E£8.88

1917.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$1.17 E£62.4

359.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.46 E£24.47

215.22%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$22.9K E£1.2M

-7.63%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$25.1K E£1.3M

-8.48%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$13.85 E£739

516.32%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$6.66 E£356

252.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$13.19 E£705

115.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$21.16 E£1,130

193.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$3.65 E£195

685.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$2.82 E£151

80.85%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$55.9 E£2,984

259.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$1,153 E£61.6K

242.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$10.16 E£543

336.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$36.48 E£1,948

13.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$46.55 E£2,486

56.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$54.2 E£2,896

65.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$27.71 E£1,479

3434.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$22.44 E£1,198

1560.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$113 E£6,053

1382.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$94.4 E£5,041

1060.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$917 E£49.0K

330.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$645 E£34.4K

851.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$119 E£6,345

520.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

43.12%

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 Damietta: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Damietta

$22 6.8% 94% $350

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Damietta

$98 30% 61.9% $160

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Damietta

$75 23% 62.3% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Damietta

$34 10.3% 75.4% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Damietta

$66 20.2% 40.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Damietta

$27 8.2% 63% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Damietta

$5.4 1.7% 89.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $27.71 in Damietta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 521% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $11.00 in Damietta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $98.0 per month, with Damietta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Damietta

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

00:38 12:38 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

267,000

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Damietta 11,310 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Damietta

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 Damietta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Damietta wins on cost – living expenses run 267% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Damietta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 521% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $27.71 in Damietta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $329 in Damietta – a 267% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Damietta runs roughly 604% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $329 in Damietta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Damietta but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Damietta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Damietta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $329 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Damietta hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Damietta are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Damietta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 267% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.