Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mersa Matruh

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Mersa Matruh

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $457 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mersa Matruh $457

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $749 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Mersa Matruh $749

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,040 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Mersa Matruh $1,040

Playa del Carmen costs about 163% more than Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mersa Matruh are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Mersa Matruh 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$4.20 E£234

158.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$827

$19.05 E£1,062

132.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$220

$4.72 E£264

149.15%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.9

$1.27 E£70.6

189.76%

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

$1.34 MX$25.11

$0.33 E£18.14

306.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.44

$0.11 E£6.01

645.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$1.36 E£75.8

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.4

$2.79 E£156

77.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$0.87 E£48.65

68.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.47

$0.66 E£37.07

236.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.67

$0.65 E£36.07

127.69%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.59

$1.19 E£66.1

109.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$141

$3.80 E£212

97.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$149

$4.24 E£237

87.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$9.23 E£515

36.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$1.54 E£86.1

80.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$0.75 E£41.82

90.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.99

$0.55 E£30.85

376.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.99

$0.35 E£19.76

511.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.86

$0.26 E£14.59

676.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.21

$0.30 E£16.70

563.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.28

$0.27 E£15.19

322.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.46

$0.22 E£11.99

445.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.7

$1.85 E£103

130.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$5.67 E£316

76.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$1.25 E£69.6

23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.80

$2.28 E£127

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.85

$0.21 E£11.72

152.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.8

$0.56 E£31.13

775.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.3

$0.17 E£9.23

1917.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$101

$1.20 E£67.1

348.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.10

$0.43 E£24.06

237.21%

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

$21.2K MX$396.0K

$32.5K E£1.8M

-34.86%

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

$23.0K MX$430.8K

$27.1K E£1.5M

-14.98%

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

$85.4 MX$1,598

$14.05 E£784

507.54%

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

$23.46 MX$439

$6.68 E£373

251.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$532

$13.50 E£753

110.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,164

$15.88 E£885

291.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.5

$2.91 E£162

75.26%

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

$201 MX$3,763

$85.0 E£4,740

136.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.9K

$2,090 E£116.6K

88.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$831

$33.72 E£1,881

31.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$774

$45.91 E£2,560

-9.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,362

$128 E£7,112

-42.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,677

$57.4 E£3,202

56.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$128 E£7,152

663.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,976

$76.7 E£4,278

385.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.5K

$256 E£14.3K

557.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.5K

$144 E£8,048

658.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.9K

$772 E£43.0K

411.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.9K

$354 E£19.7K

1634.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

$94.2 E£5,253

682.99%

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 Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8% 79.4% $296

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6% 51.1% $132

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9% 61.5% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5% 75.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mersa Matruh

$119 26% 6.6% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7% 70% $51

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5% 95.7% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $128 in Mersa Matruh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Mersa Matruh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $126 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

140,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mersa Matruh 10,940 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mersa Matruh

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 Mersa Matruh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 163% more than Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $686 in Mersa Matruh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $19 in Mersa Matruh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 104% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mersa Matruh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mersa Matruh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.