Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hassi Messaoud

For one person, living is cheaper in Hassi Messaoud: $519 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 Hassi Messaoud
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Hassi Messaoud Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Hassi Messaoud

🇩🇿 Algeria

$519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hassi Messaoud

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $519 in Hassi Messaoud, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Hassi Messaoud $519

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $842 in Hassi Messaoud, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Hassi Messaoud $842

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,165 in Hassi Messaoud, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Hassi Messaoud $1,165

Playa del Carmen costs about 132% more than Hassi Messaoud, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Hassi Messaoud are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Hassi Messaoud 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$3.11 DZD 420

243.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$16.88 DZD 2,281

159.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.88 DZD 524

203.87%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$0.68 DZD 91.8

457.35%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$0.62 DZD 83.9

109.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$0.26 DZD 35.39

219.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$1.58 DZD 214

99.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$2.18 DZD 294

126.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$0.82 DZD 111

71.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$0.12 DZD 16.31

1733.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$1.16 DZD 156

26.72%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$1.24 DZD 167

101.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$7.86 DZD 1,062

-7.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.84 DZD 519

107.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$14.09 DZD 1,904

-8.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.12 DZD 286

36.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$2.69 DZD 364

-48.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$1.11 DZD 150

124.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$0.90 DZD 121

125.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$0.61 DZD 82.8

231.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$0.46 DZD 61.9

313.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$0.77 DZD 105

48.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$0.27 DZD 36.68

359.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$2.59 DZD 349

64.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$6.55 DZD 885

49.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

$1.24 DZD 167

28.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$1.88 DZD 254

46.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.24 DZD 32.45

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

$6.77 DZD 915

304.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$0.57 DZD 77.1

735.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$0.43 DZD 58.6

655.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$5.34 DZD 721

0.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$0.33 DZD 44.14

363.64%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$31.6K DZD 4.3M

-32.93%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$34.8K DZD 4.7M

-33.17%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$35.69 DZD 4,823

133.93%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$9.25 DZD 1,250

150.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$12.10 DZD 1,635

128.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$22.26 DZD 3,009

153.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$4.50 DZD 608

11.11%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$334 DZD 45.1K

-38.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$4,796 DZD 648.2K

9.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$31.75 DZD 4,292

36.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$34.03 DZD 4,599

25.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$69.1 DZD 9,339

5.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$79.8 DZD 10.8K

10.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$144 DZD 19.5K

591.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$91.4 DZD 12.4K

318.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$272 DZD 36.7K

515.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$192 DZD 26.0K

462.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

$961 DZD 129.9K

306.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

$1,041 DZD 140.7K

489.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Hassi Messaoud: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Hassi Messaoud

$91 17.6% 76.1% $291

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Hassi Messaoud

$172 33.1% 33.2% $86

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Hassi Messaoud

$60 11.6% 69.8% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Hassi Messaoud

$57 11% 57.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Hassi Messaoud

$97 18.6% 13.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Hassi Messaoud

$31 6% 53% $35

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Hassi Messaoud

$10 2% 79.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $144 in Hassi Messaoud. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $17 in Hassi Messaoud. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $172 – making Hassi Messaoud the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇿 Hassi Messaoud

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

13:38 1:38 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

45,147

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.61 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hassi Messaoud 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hassi Messaoud

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 Hassi Messaoud: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $519 in Hassi Messaoud – Hassi Messaoud comes out roughly 57% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $779 in Hassi Messaoud. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hassi Messaoud, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $144 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Hassi Messaoud. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $334 in Hassi Messaoud. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hassi Messaoud, where all-in costs run around $519, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Hassi Messaoud it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $519 in Hassi Messaoud to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Hassi Messaoud is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 57% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.