Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Djemila

For one person, living is cheaper in Djemila: $538 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Djemila
🇩🇿 Algeria
$538
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $538 in Djemila, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Djemila $538

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $889 in Djemila, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Djemila $889

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,239 in Djemila, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Djemila $1,239

Playa del Carmen costs about 125% more than Djemila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Djemila are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Djemila 60% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Djemila
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$3.38 DZD 452
218.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$27.78 DZD 3,719
54.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$4.26 DZD 571
176.76%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$1.12 DZD 150
245.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$0.59 DZD 79.0
132.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$0.27 DZD 36.01
211.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$2.30 DZD 307
34.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$2.18 DZD 291
132.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Djemila
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$0.85 DZD 114
69.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$0.12 DZD 16.40
1758.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.11 DZD 148
32.43%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$1.20 DZD 160
110.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$7.87 DZD 1,053
-7.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$4.05 DZD 543
94.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$14.06 DZD 1,882
-9.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$2.12 DZD 283
36.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$2.73 DZD 366
-47.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$1.08 DZD 144
136.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$0.89 DZD 119
131.46%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$0.57 DZD 76.7
250.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$0.49 DZD 65.4
310.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$0.82 DZD 109
45.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$0.27 DZD 36.43
366.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$3.11 DZD 416
41.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$6.74 DZD 902
42.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$1.28 DZD 171
24.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$1.96 DZD 262
43.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Djemila
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$0.23 DZD 30.21
147.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
$7.05 DZD 944
294.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$0.55 DZD 73.6
805.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$0.44 DZD 58.4
695.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
$5.53 DZD 741
-2.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$0.33 DZD 44.10
345.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
$35.6K DZD 4.8M
-41.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
$34.2K DZD 4.6M
-30.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Djemila
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$44.83 DZD 6,002
87.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$9.52 DZD 1,274
152.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$12.07 DZD 1,617
140.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Djemila
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$23.86 DZD 3,195
163.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$4.47 DZD 599
10.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Djemila
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$551 DZD 73.7K
-63.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$6,436 DZD 861.7K
-38.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Djemila
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$31.88 DZD 4,268
36.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
$34.79 DZD 4,658
23.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$68.0 DZD 9,101
11.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$81.1 DZD 10.9K
9.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Djemila
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$158 DZD 21.2K
537.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$85.1 DZD 11.4K
339.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$287 DZD 38.4K
496.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$170 DZD 22.8K
549.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
$983 DZD 131.6K
301.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
$1,005 DZD 134.6K
513.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Djemila
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
-
-
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 10, 2026

Last update for Djemila: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Djemila
$85 77.2% $289
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Djemila
$174 32.8% $85
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Djemila
$73 64.1% $130
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Djemila
$66 51.6% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Djemila
$97 14.1% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Djemila
$33 55% $40
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Djemila
$11 79.7% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $158 in Djemila. 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $28.00 in Djemila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $174 – making Djemila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇩🇿 Djemila
🕒 Local time
02:37 2:37 AM
08:37 8:37 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
24,145
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Djemila 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Djemila

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 Djemila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Djemila?
Playa del Carmen costs about 125% more than Djemila, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Djemila?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $808 in Djemila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Djemila?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Djemila, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Djemila?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $538 in Djemila. That's a gap of about 125%.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Djemila?
Public transport costs about 295% less in Djemila. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Playa del Carmen or in Djemila?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Djemila, where all-in costs run around $538, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Djemila it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Djemila?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Djemila costs $538 versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Playa del Carmen compared to Djemila?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Djemila?
If budget matters most, go with Djemila. 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.

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