Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ouargla

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouargla: $524 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Ouargla
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Ouargla Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Ouargla

🇩🇿 Algeria

$524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $524 in Ouargla.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Ouargla $524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $852 in Ouargla.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ouargla $852

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,180 in Ouargla.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Ouargla $1,180

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 130% more expensive than in Ouargla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Ouargla 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$3.18 DZD 431

235.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$17.00 DZD 2,303

157.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.89 DZD 527

203.08%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$0.69 DZD 92.9

449.28%

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

$1.30 MX$24.07

$0.59 DZD 79.9

120.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.47

$0.24 DZD 32.30

245.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$1.53 DZD 207

105.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$2.21 DZD 300

123.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$0.88 DZD 119

60.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.75

$0.14 DZD 19.15

1471.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.33

$1.16 DZD 157

26.72%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.34

$1.19 DZD 161

110.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$7.90 DZD 1,071

-7.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.92 DZD 530

102.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$14.40 DZD 1,950

-10.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.11 DZD 286

37.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.67

$2.78 DZD 377

-50.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.23

$1.06 DZD 144

134.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.67

$0.97 DZD 132

109.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$0.58 DZD 79.2

248.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.32

$0.45 DZD 61.2

322.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.24

$0.70 DZD 95.4

62.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$0.27 DZD 36.95

359.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$2.57 DZD 348

66.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$6.64 DZD 899

47.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.43

$1.23 DZD 166

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$1.87 DZD 254

47.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.22 DZD 29.79

131.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$508

$6.84 DZD 927

300.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$0.59 DZD 79.4

706.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$0.40 DZD 54.8

712.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$5.18 DZD 702

4.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.36

$0.33 DZD 44.42

363.64%

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

$21.2K MX$393.7K

$31.8K DZD 4.3M

-33.33%

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

$23.3K MX$431.7K

$34.9K DZD 4.7M

-33.28%

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

$83.5 MX$1,549

$35.65 DZD 4,830

134.19%

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

$23.19 MX$430

$9.06 DZD 1,227

155.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$512

$12.52 DZD 1,696

120.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,047

$21.99 DZD 2,979

156.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.8

$4.60 DZD 623

8.70%

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

$207 MX$3,843

$330 DZD 44.7K

-37.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$4,832 DZD 654.5K

8.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$806

$31.98 DZD 4,332

35.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$789

$34.27 DZD 4,642

24.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,350

$69.6 DZD 9,427

4.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,640

$79.4 DZD 10.8K

11.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$141 DZD 19.1K

604.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,097

$93.2 DZD 12.6K

310.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$270 DZD 36.6K

519.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$199 DZD 27.0K

443.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.5K

$959 DZD 129.9K

307.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$113.9K

$1,058 DZD 143.3K

480.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

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 Ouargla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Ouargla

$93 17.8% 75.6% $289

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Ouargla

$174 33.3% 32.3% $83

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Ouargla

$61 11.6% 69.7% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Ouargla

$57 10.9% 57.4% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Ouargla

$97 18.5% 12.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Ouargla

$31 6% 53% $35

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ouargla

$10 2% 79.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $141 in Ouargla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $17 in Ouargla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $174 per month, with Ouargla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇿 Ouargla

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

17:00 5:00 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

133,024

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.38 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.57 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.38 USD). 1 EUR = 152 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.57 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ouargla 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ouargla

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 Ouargla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ouargla wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ouargla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $786 in Ouargla 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $141 in Ouargla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ouargla runs roughly 75% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $330 in Ouargla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $524 in Ouargla versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Ouargla but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ouargla 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 Ouargla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.