Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kiryat Ata

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,620 in Kiryat Ata, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Kiryat Ata
🇮🇱 Israel
$2,620
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kiryat Ata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,620 in Kiryat Ata.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Kiryat Ata $2,620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,175 in Kiryat Ata.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Kiryat Ata $4,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,730 in Kiryat Ata.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Kiryat Ata $5,730

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 54% less than in Kiryat Ata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Kiryat Ata is 94% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Kiryat Ata
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$26.30 ₪81.8
-59.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$109 ₪340
-60.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$19.56 ₪60.9
-39.72%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$4.55 ₪14.14
-14.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$3.57 ₪11.11
-61.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$3.04 ₪9.45
-72.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$10.40 ₪32.37
-70.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$10.95 ₪34.08
-53.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Kiryat Ata
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$2.46 ₪7.66
-41.46%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$3.71 ₪11.56
-39.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$3.86 ₪11.99
-61.92%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$5.10 ₪15.87
-50.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$17.57 ₪54.7
-58.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$12.82 ₪39.88
-38.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$24.02 ₪74.7
-46.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$4.29 ₪13.34
-32.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$2.98 ₪9.27
-51.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$2.38 ₪7.40
7.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$2.49 ₪7.75
-17.27%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$1.90 ₪5.90
5.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$1.77 ₪5.49
13.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$2.36 ₪7.36
-49.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$2.62 ₪8.17
-51.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$13.23 ₪41.15
-66.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$15.17 ₪47.21
-36.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$3.08 ₪9.58
-48.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$4.83 ₪15.02
-41.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Kiryat Ata
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$2.54 ₪7.89
-77.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
$97.8 ₪304
-71.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$4.35 ₪13.54
14.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$1.13 ₪3.52
209.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
$19.28 ₪60.0
-71.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$2.64 ₪8.21
-44.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
$56.9K ₪177.1K
-63.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
$56.7K ₪176.3K
-57.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Kiryat Ata
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$264 ₪822
-68.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$11.55 ₪35.92
107.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$34.87 ₪108
-16.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Kiryat Ata
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$71.6 ₪223
-11.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$15.56 ₪48.42
-68.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Kiryat Ata
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$1,178 ₪3,664
-82.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$31.5K ₪97.9K
-87.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Kiryat Ata
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$115 ₪357
-61.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
$70.2 ₪219
-38.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$135 ₪420
-43.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$156 ₪485
-43.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Kiryat Ata
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$1,606 ₪4,998
-37.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$997 ₪3,103
-62.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$2,264 ₪7,043
-24.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$2,053 ₪6,386
-46.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
$9,651 ₪30.0K
-59.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
$7,478 ₪23.3K
-17.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Kiryat Ata
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
-
-
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: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kiryat Ata: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Kiryat Ata
$997 167% $623
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Kiryat Ata
$453 75.4% $195
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Kiryat Ata
$424 110% $222
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Kiryat Ata
$311 126% $173
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Kiryat Ata
$214 89.5% $101
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Kiryat Ata
$103 40.9% $30
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Kiryat Ata
$118 124% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,606 in Kiryat Ata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $109 in Kiryat Ata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $453 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇱 Kiryat Ata
🕒 Local time
04:35 4:35 AM
12:35 12:35 PM
8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
62,821
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Kiryat Ata 11,470 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Kiryat Ata

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 Kiryat Ata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kiryat Ata cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 116% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $3,930 in Kiryat Ata 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 Kiryat Ata?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,606 in Kiryat Ata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,178 in Kiryat Ata. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Kiryat Ata?
Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Kiryat Ata. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Kiryat Ata?
At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,620 in Kiryat Ata, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kiryat Ata. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Playa del Carmen or Kiryat Ata more family-friendly?
For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kiryat Ata, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Kiryat Ata?
Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Kiryat Ata are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Kiryat Ata. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?