Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Harish

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,002 in Harish, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Harish, Israel
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Harish
🇮🇱 Israel
$3,002
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,002 in Harish.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Harish $3,002

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,338 in Harish.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Harish $4,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,673 in Harish.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Harish $5,673

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 60% less than in Harish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Harish is 121% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Harish
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$26.34 ₪82.7
-58.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$814
$89.8 ₪282
-51.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$19.96 ₪62.7
-40.98%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.5
$4.58 ₪14.36
-16.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.07
$3.88 ₪12.16
-67.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.70
$2.65 ₪8.32
-70.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$9.83 ₪30.85
-67.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$9.97 ₪31.28
-50.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Harish
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.40
$2.69 ₪8.44
-47.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.62
$5.57 ₪17.49
-60.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.61
$3.26 ₪10.23
-56.44%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.36
$4.64 ₪14.57
-45.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$12.90 ₪40.49
-43.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$19.02 ₪59.7
-59.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$26.27 ₪82.4
-51.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$6.54 ₪20.53
-57.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.68
$3.19 ₪10.00
-57.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.89
$3.05 ₪9.57
-16.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.86
$3.17 ₪9.96
-33.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$2.05 ₪6.44
-5.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.41
$1.73 ₪5.43
9.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.53
$2.44 ₪7.66
-52.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.13
$2.54 ₪7.96
-53.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.6
$10.13 ₪31.80
-57.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$13.01 ₪40.83
-23.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.73
$4.85 ₪15.21
-67.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$4.08 ₪12.79
-34.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Harish
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.39
$2.26 ₪7.08
-75.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$90.5 ₪284
-70.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.3
$8.14 ₪25.54
-38.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$1.33 ₪4.17
150.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$31.90 ₪100
-83.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.11
$2.52 ₪7.92
-42.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.0K
$54.5K ₪170.9K
-62.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.5K
$54.2K ₪170.2K
-56.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Harish
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,592
$331 ₪1,040
-74.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$12.02 ₪37.73
94.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$538
$47.82 ₪150
-40.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Harish
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,071
$77.9 ₪244
-26.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.5
$16.16 ₪50.7
-68.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Harish
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,878
$1,616 ₪5,070
-87.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.7K
$26.8K ₪84.1K
-85.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Harish
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$814
$105 ₪329
-58.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$778
$65.5 ₪206
-36.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,393
$177 ₪554
-57.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,676
$160 ₪501
-44.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Harish
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,569 ₪4,925
-37.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,150
$1,223 ₪3,837
-68.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$2,248 ₪7,056
-24.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$1,834 ₪5,754
-41.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.0K
$10.3K ₪32.4K
-61.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.6K
$7,873 ₪24.7K
-21.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Harish
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.5
227.14%

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 Harish: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Harish
$1.2K 221% $842
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Harish
$515 102% $260
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Harish
$421 108% $218
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Harish
$391 186% $254
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Harish
$228 104% $116
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Harish
$110 63.7% $43
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Harish
$114 127% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,569 in Harish. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $90 in Harish for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $515 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇱 Harish
🕒 Local time
17:16 5:16 PM
00:16 12:16 AM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
7,569
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.14 ILS (1 ILS = 0.319 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.285 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Harish 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Harish

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 Harish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Harish?
Playa del Carmen is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $4,503 in Harish to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Playa del Carmen and Harish?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,569 in Harish. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 71% less than in Harish. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,616 in Harish. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Harish?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,002 in Harish, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Harish. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Playa del Carmen or Harish more family-friendly?
For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Harish, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Harish. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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