Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Guelma

For one person, living is cheaper in Guelma: $522 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Guelma
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Guelma Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Guelma

🇩🇿 Algeria

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $522 in Guelma.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Guelma $522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $850 in Guelma.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Guelma $850

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,179 in Guelma.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Guelma $1,179

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 130% more expensive than in Guelma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Guelma 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.14 DZD 425

239.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$17.36 DZD 2,347

152.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.80 DZD 514

210.26%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$0.63 DZD 85.2

501.59%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.59 DZD 80.0

120.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.26 DZD 35.39

219.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.51 DZD 204

108.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.14 DZD 289

130.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.84 DZD 114

67.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.15 DZD 20.21

1366.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.15 DZD 155

27.83%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.18 DZD 160

111.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.74 DZD 1,046

-5.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.86 DZD 522

105.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$14.45 DZD 1,953

-11.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.03 DZD 274

42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.82 DZD 382

-51.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$1.10 DZD 149

126.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$0.96 DZD 130

111.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$0.62 DZD 83.8

225.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.49 DZD 65.9

287.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.70 DZD 95.1

62.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.27 DZD 36.69

359.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.70 DZD 366

58.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$6.54 DZD 884

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.24 DZD 168

28.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.91 DZD 259

43.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.24 DZD 32.54

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$6.84 DZD 925

300.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.53 DZD 72.0

798.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.43 DZD 58.4

655.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$5.29 DZD 715

1.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.35 DZD 47.43

337.14%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$31.6K DZD 4.3M

-32.97%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$34.4K DZD 4.7M

-32.43%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$36.43 DZD 4,924

129.18%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$9.42 DZD 1,273

146.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$12.15 DZD 1,642

127.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$22.47 DZD 3,037

151.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.53 DZD 612

10.38%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$340 DZD 45.9K

-39.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$4,850 DZD 655.7K

7.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$31.78 DZD 4,296

36.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$34.46 DZD 4,659

23.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$69.1 DZD 9,342

5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$80.6 DZD 10.9K

9.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$142 DZD 19.2K

600.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$92.1 DZD 12.5K

315.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$267 DZD 36.1K

527.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$197 DZD 26.7K

447.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$953 DZD 128.8K

310.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,037 DZD 140.3K

491.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$300 DZD 40.5K

177.49%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Guelma: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Guelma

$92 17.7% 75.9% $290

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Guelma

$173 33.2% 32.6% $84

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Guelma

$59 11.4% 70.4% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Guelma

$58 11.1% 56.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Guelma

$97 18.6% 12.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Guelma

$32 6% 52.6% $35

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Guelma

$11 2% 79.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $142 in Guelma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $17 in Guelma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $173 per month, with Guelma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇿 Guelma

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

23:16 11:16 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

120,847

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.57 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 152 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.57 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Guelma 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Guelma

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 Guelma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $522 in Guelma, so Guelma is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.8 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $142 in Guelma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guelma – a meal for two runs $17 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $522 in Guelma versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Guelma but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Guelma 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 Guelma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.