Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kefar Sava

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,960 in Kefar Sava, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Kefar Sava
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Kefar Sava Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Kefar Sava

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kefar Sava

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,960 in Kefar Sava.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Kefar Sava $2,960

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,330 in Kefar Sava.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kefar Sava $4,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,700 in Kefar Sava.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Kefar Sava $5,700

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 59% less than in Kefar Sava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Kefar Sava is 119% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$25.26 ₪80.8

-57.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$130 ₪414

-66.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$19.66 ₪62.9

-40.03%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$5.31 ₪16.97

-28.63%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$3.92 ₪12.54

-66.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$2.99 ₪9.56

-72.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$8.82 ₪28.21

-64.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$7.76 ₪24.81

-36.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$2.42 ₪7.73

-41.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$3.16 ₪10.10

-30.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$3.62 ₪11.58

-59.39%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$4.47 ₪14.30

-44.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$20.97 ₪67.1

-65.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$14.17 ₪45.32

-43.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$24.60 ₪78.7

-47.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$4.44 ₪14.20

-34.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$3.69 ₪11.80

-62.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$2.40 ₪7.67

3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$3.35 ₪10.70

-39.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$1.86 ₪5.95

8.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.89 ₪6.04

0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$2.57 ₪8.21

-55.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$2.17 ₪6.94

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$14.17 ₪45.31

-69.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$12.94 ₪41.37

-24.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$3.62 ₪11.56

-56.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$3.92 ₪12.52

-29.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$2.88 ₪9.20

-82.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$89.6 ₪287

-69.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$4.06 ₪12.98

17.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$0.76 ₪2.44

327.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$37.61 ₪120

-85.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$2.54 ₪8.13

-39.76%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$54.6K ₪174.6K

-61.15%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$53.1K ₪169.8K

-56.19%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$433 ₪1,386

-80.73%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$11.04 ₪35.29

110.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$35.34 ₪113

-21.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$80.8 ₪258

-30.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$15.57 ₪49.78

-67.89%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$1,656 ₪5,295

-87.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$25.2K ₪80.5K

-79.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$123 ₪394

-64.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$83.4 ₪267

-48.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$168 ₪537

-56.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$191 ₪609

-53.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$1,736 ₪5,550

-42.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$1,129 ₪3,611

-66.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$2,707 ₪8,655

-38.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$1,653 ₪5,284

-34.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$10.3K ₪33.0K

-62.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$6,873 ₪22.0K

-10.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.03

127.63%

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 Kefar Sava: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Kefar Sava

$1.1K 38.2% 195% $747

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Kefar Sava

$464 15.7% 80.2% $206

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Kefar Sava

$412 13.9% 106% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Kefar Sava

$480 16.2% 257% $345

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Kefar Sava

$254 8.6% 129% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Kefar Sava

$112 3.8% 68.5% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kefar Sava

$109 3.7% 116% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,736 in Kefar Sava. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $130 in Kefar Sava for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $464 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇱 Kefar Sava

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

16:01 4:01 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

110,456

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 ILS = 0.313 USD

1 ILS = 0.278 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.2 ILS (1 ILS = 0.313 USD). 1 EUR = 3.59 ILS (1 ILS = 0.278 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kefar Sava 11,500 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kefar Sava

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 Kefar Sava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,960 in Kefar Sava, so Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $4,440 in Kefar Sava 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,736 in Kefar Sava. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,960 in Kefar Sava – Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 69% less than in Kefar Sava. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,960 in Kefar Sava, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kefar Sava. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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 Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Kefar Sava. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.