Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 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
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
Learn more

Ismailia Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $330 in Ismailia.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ismailia $330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $561 in Ismailia.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Ismailia $561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $792 in Ismailia.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Ismailia $792

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 265% more expensive than in Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.30 E£176

229.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$14.58 E£778

203.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$3.76 E£201

212.77%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.04 E£55.5

253.85%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.30 E£15.91

346.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.13 E£6.85

530.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.32 E£70.6

131.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.80 E£96.0

174.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.79 E£42.30

86.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.36 E£19.07

516.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.60 E£32.12

146.67%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.15 E£61.5

116.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$3.49 E£186

115.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.98 E£213

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.95 E£371

80.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.45 E£77.3

91.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.54 E£29.05

164.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.41 E£22.01

539.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.31 E£16.79

590.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.26 E£13.89

676.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.32 E£17.12

521.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.23 E£12.31

395.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.20 E£10.67

500.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.86 E£99.5

129.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$5.48 E£293

82.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.04 E£55.4

48.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.89 E£101

40.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.23 E£12.26

130.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$3.77 E£201

629.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.39 E£20.60

1156.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.48 E£25.72

614.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$1.13 E£60.2

376.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.42 E£22.18

245.24%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$27.6K E£1.5M

-23.46%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$14.6K E£780.2K

57.55%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$13.94 E£744

512.34%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$6.66 E£355

252.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$7.33 E£391

287.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$9.65 E£515

544.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$18.42 E£984

55.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$1.82 E£97.4

180.22%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$65.6 E£3,502

206.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$1,171 E£62.5K

236.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$12.92 E£690

243.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$9.19 E£491

349.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$127 E£6,764

-42.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$27.53 E£1,470

225.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$78.3 E£4,181

1150.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$31.44 E£1,679

1085.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$120 E£6,414

1299.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$75.2 E£4,017

1355.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$458 E£24.5K

761.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$131 E£6,984

4592.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$101 E£5,387

631.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

21.33

-46.32%

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 Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Ismailia

$31 9.5% 91.6% $341

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Ismailia

$108 32.8% 58.2% $150

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Ismailia

$62 18.8% 69% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ismailia

$28 8.5% 79.7% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ismailia

$79 24.1% 28.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Ismailia

$13 4% 81.6% $59

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3% 85.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 631% 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 $15.00 in Ismailia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $108 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

23:58 11:58 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

352,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ismailia 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ismailia

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 Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ismailia wins on cost – living expenses run 265% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ismailia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 631% 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 $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $65.6 in Ismailia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 139% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $330 in Ismailia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ismailia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $330 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ismailia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Ismailia 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 Ismailia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 265% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.