Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mostaganem

For one person, living is cheaper in Mostaganem: $530 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Mostaganem
🇩🇿 Algeria
$530
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $530 in Mostaganem, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Mostaganem $530

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $858 in Mostaganem, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Mostaganem $858

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,186 in Mostaganem, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Mostaganem $1,186

Playa del Carmen costs about 129% more than Mostaganem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mostaganem are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Mostaganem 61% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Mostaganem
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$196
$3.42 DZD 458
214.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$786
$26.46 DZD 3,547
62.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$215
$4.26 DZD 571
176.76%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$70.6
$1.13 DZD 152
242.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$24.98
$0.59 DZD 78.9
132.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.26
$0.27 DZD 35.98
211.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$56.6
$2.17 DZD 291
42.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$92.5
$2.25 DZD 301
125.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Mostaganem
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.23
$0.79 DZD 106
82.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$40.74
$0.15 DZD 19.62
1386.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$26.84
$1.11 DZD 149
32.43%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.15
$1.24 DZD 166
104.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$133
$3.80 DZD 510
92.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$143
$3.87 DZD 519
103.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$234
$14.14 DZD 1,895
-9.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.0
$2.04 DZD 274
42.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.21
$2.74 DZD 368
-47.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$46.51
$1.11 DZD 149
129.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$37.57
$0.72 DZD 96.4
186.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.53
$0.35 DZD 46.74
471.43%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$36.62
$0.27 DZD 36.24
644.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$21.75
$0.80 DZD 108
48.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$22.95
$0.27 DZD 36.44
366.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$80.4
$2.50 DZD 335
76.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$175
$6.62 DZD 888
44.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.06
$1.22 DZD 163
30.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.3
$1.84 DZD 247
52.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Mostaganem
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.34
$0.29 DZD 38.70
96.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$508
$6.51 DZD 872
327.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$91.0
$0.54 DZD 71.8
822.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$63.9
$0.46 DZD 62.0
660.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$98.6
$2.25 DZD 302
140.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$26.75
$0.23 DZD 30.83
539.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$383.2K
$35.2K DZD 4.7M
-40.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$436.5K
$34.2K DZD 4.6M
-30.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Mostaganem
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,537
$35.56 DZD 4,766
136.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$438
$7.09 DZD 950
238.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$530
$12.47 DZD 1,671
132.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Mostaganem
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,150
$22.27 DZD 2,985
182.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$532
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$90.2
$4.36 DZD 585
13.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Mostaganem
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,718
$73.0 DZD 9,788
178.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.0K
$6,224 DZD 834.2K
-36.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Mostaganem
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$796
$32.68 DZD 4,379
33.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$787
$33.98 DZD 4,554
26.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,383
$69.2 DZD 9,271
9.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,617
$79.9 DZD 10.7K
10.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Mostaganem
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.4K
$143 DZD 19.1K
605.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,829
$106 DZD 14.2K
254.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.2K
$239 DZD 32.0K
614.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.2K
$179 DZD 23.9K
519.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.0K
$957 DZD 128.3K
312.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$112.6K
$1,071 DZD 143.6K
475.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Mostaganem
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.8K
$226 DZD 30.3K
233.10%
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: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mostaganem: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Mostaganem
$106 71.8% $268
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Mostaganem
$158 39% $101
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Mostaganem
$72 64.2% $130
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Mostaganem
$55 59.8% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Mostaganem
$97 14.1% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Mostaganem
$31 57.5% $42
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Mostaganem
$11 80% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $143 in Mostaganem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 233% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $26.00 in Mostaganem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $158 – making Mostaganem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇩🇿 Mostaganem
🕒 Local time
14:11 2:11 PM
20:11 8:11 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
145,696
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.26 MXN (100 MXN = 5.48 USD). 1 EUR = 20.38 MXN (100 MXN = 4.91 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Mostaganem 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Mostaganem

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 Mostaganem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Mostaganem compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, $530 in Mostaganem – roughly 129% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Mostaganem?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $794 in Mostaganem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Mostaganem?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mostaganem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Playa del Carmen or Mostaganem?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $530 in Mostaganem. That's a gap of about 129%.
How do commuting costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Mostaganem?
Public transport costs about 327% less in Mostaganem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mostaganem, where all-in costs run around $530, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Mostaganem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Mostaganem?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $530 in Mostaganem to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Playa del Carmen or Mostaganem safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Mostaganem?
If budget matters most, go with Mostaganem. 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.

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