Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nasr City

For one person, living is cheaper in Nasr City: $595 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Nasr City
Learn more

Nasr City Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Nasr City

🇪🇬 Egypt

$595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Nasr City

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $595 in Nasr City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Nasr City $595

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,013 in Nasr City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Nasr City $1,013

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,430 in Nasr City, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Nasr City $1,430

Playa del Carmen costs about 103% more than Nasr City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Nasr City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Nasr City 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$4.19 E£224

156.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$797

$23.21 E£1,240

85.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.61 E£300

110.16%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.6

$1.24 E£66.4

212.10%

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

$1.37 MX$25.36

$0.32 E£17.36

328.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.49

$0.14 E£7.35

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.5

$1.29 E£69.0

140.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.9

$2.82 E£151

79.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.89 E£47.61

61.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.34

$0.72 E£38.24

209.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.25

$0.76 E£40.61

93.42%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.84

$1.42 E£75.6

78.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$3.92 E£209

86.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$146

$5.49 E£293

43.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$237

$8.15 E£436

56.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.7

$1.58 E£84.2

83.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.60

$0.74 E£39.48

94.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.20

$0.55 E£29.51

363.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.13

$0.37 E£19.87

456.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$37.07

$0.35 E£18.77

471.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.17

$0.33 E£17.87

509.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.08

$0.20 E£10.67

495.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.29

$0.23 E£12.25

447.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.6

$1.93 E£103

127.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$178

$5.55 E£297

72.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.50

$1.19 E£63.4

33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$52.1

$2.06 E£110

36.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.49

$0.29 E£15.61

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$516

$6.81 E£364

308.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.4

$0.58 E£31.20

758.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.8

$0.19 E£10.36

1742.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$100

$3.83 E£205

40.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.15

$0.46 E£24.82

219.57%

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

$21.0K MX$388.9K

$32.1K E£1.7M

-34.62%

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

$23.9K MX$443.0K

$26.6K E£1.4M

-10.25%

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

$84.2 MX$1,560

$40.02 E£2,139

110.42%

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

$23.99 MX$444

$7.54 E£403

218.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$538

$14.09 E£753

105.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,167

$30.09 E£1,608

109.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$540

$1.89 E£101

1441.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.6

$3.29 E£176

50.15%

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

$204 MX$3,773

$87.3 E£4,667

133.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$73.0K

$2,093 E£111.8K

88.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$808

$35.71 E£1,908

22.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$799

$45.47 E£2,430

-5.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,404

$115 E£6,142

-34.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,642

$57.5 E£3,073

54.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.7K

$216 E£11.5K

367.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,931

$163 E£8,708

129.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$489 E£26.1K

249.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.5K

$435 E£23.2K

154.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$73.1K

$775 E£41.4K

409.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.3K

$436 E£23.3K

1316.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$14.0K

$236 E£12.6K

219.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-23.67%

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 Nasr City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Nasr City

$163 27.4% 56.4% $211

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Nasr City

$131 22% 49.2% $127

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Nasr City

$79 13.3% 60.8% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Nasr City

$62 10.4% 55.1% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Nasr City

$114 19.2% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Nasr City

$37 6.2% 49.7% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Nasr City

$9.5 1.6% 81.9% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $216 in Nasr City. 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 220% 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 $23.00 in Nasr City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $131 – making Nasr City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Nasr City

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

23:43 11:43 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

668,413

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.4 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.53 MXN (100 MXN = 5.4 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nasr City 11,350 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nasr City

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 Nasr City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $893 in Nasr City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nasr City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $23.00 in Nasr City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $595 in Nasr City. That's a gap of about 103%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nasr City, where all-in costs run around $595, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Nasr City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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.

If budget matters most, go with Nasr City. 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.