Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Laghouat

For one person, living is cheaper in Laghouat: $497 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Laghouat
Learn more

Laghouat Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Laghouat

🇩🇿 Algeria

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $497 in Laghouat.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Laghouat $497

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $814 in Laghouat.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Laghouat $814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,130 in Laghouat.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Laghouat $1,130

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 142% more expensive than in Laghouat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Laghouat 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$3.56 DZD 482

199.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$20.47 DZD 2,772

113.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$4.51 DZD 611

161.42%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$0.99 DZD 134

282.83%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$0.66 DZD 89.1

96.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$0.15 DZD 20.41

453.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$1.50 DZD 203

110.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.14 DZD 289

130.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.01 DZD 137

39.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$0.15 DZD 19.69

1366.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$2.50 DZD 339

-41.20%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$1.85 DZD 251

35.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$4.17 DZD 565

74.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$5.68 DZD 769

39.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$14.68 DZD 1,988

-12.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$3.80 DZD 515

-23.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$3.53 DZD 477

-60.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$2.05 DZD 277

21.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$1.04 DZD 141

95.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$0.57 DZD 76.6

254.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$0.55 DZD 74.7

245.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$0.53 DZD 71.3

115.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$0.29 DZD 39.03

327.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$2.24 DZD 303

90.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$6.79 DZD 920

44.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$1.23 DZD 166

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$1.78 DZD 241

54.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$0.10 DZD 14.18

410.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$6.46 DZD 875

323.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$0.76 DZD 103

526.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$0.34 DZD 45.47

855.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$5.96 DZD 807

-9.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$0.34 DZD 45.62

350.00%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$29.6K DZD 4.0M

-28.39%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$44.4K DZD 6.0M

-47.58%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$36.22 DZD 4,906

130.51%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$6.47 DZD 876

258.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$15.97 DZD 2,163

72.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$13.67 DZD 1,852

312.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$4.39 DZD 594

13.90%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$59.2 DZD 8,018

249.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$10.6K DZD 1.4M

-50.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$27.67 DZD 3,748

57.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$33.39 DZD 4,522

27.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$55.9 DZD 7,572

30.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$68.2 DZD 9,242

29.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$96.2 DZD 13.0K

933.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$54.9 DZD 7,437

596.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$160 DZD 21.7K

946.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$104 DZD 14.0K

943.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$437 DZD 59.2K

793.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$292 DZD 39.5K

2002.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$353 DZD 47.8K

135.78%

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 Laghouat: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Laghouat

$55 11.1% 85.6% $327

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Laghouat

$199 40.1% 22.6% $58

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Laghouat

$69 13.9% 65.6% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Laghouat

$59 11.8% 56.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Laghouat

$83 16.8% 25.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Laghouat

$22 4.5% 66.2% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Laghouat

$9.3 1.9% 81.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $96 in Laghouat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.4 times 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 in Playa del Carmen vs $20 in Laghouat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $199 per month, with Laghouat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇿 Laghouat

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

144,747

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.38 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.58 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.38 USD). 1 EUR = 152 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.58 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Laghouat 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Laghouat

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 Laghouat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laghouat is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $96 in Laghouat. 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 $497 in Laghouat – Laghouat is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Laghouat runs roughly 76% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $497 in Laghouat versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Laghouat but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Laghouat 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 Laghouat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.