Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sharm El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $442 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$442

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $442 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sharm El Sheikh $442

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $674 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sharm El Sheikh $674

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $905 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sharm El Sheikh $905

Playa del Carmen costs about 172% more than Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sharm El Sheikh are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Sharm El Sheikh 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$21.07 E£1,180

105.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.46 E£249

164.13%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.17 E£122

75.58%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.33 E£18.71

287.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.51 E£28.57

52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.46 E£194

-8.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.36 E£244

13.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$0.83 E£46.19

69.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.42 E£23.72

238.10%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.08 E£60.4

133.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.46 E£193

122.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.39 E£77.8

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$0.45 E£25.39

204.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$0.42 E£23.78

507.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$0.26 E£14.42

715.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.06 E£115

108.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.39 E£78.0

13.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.08 E£4.38

587.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.43 E£24.08

234.88%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$29.6K E£1.7M

-30.29%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$20.4K E£1.1M

15.07%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

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

$23.41 MX$436

$10.80 E£605

116.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$27.30 E£1,528

4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

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

$207 MX$3,848

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$337 E£18.8K

190.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$284 E£15.9K

34.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$588 E£32.9K

190.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$506 E£28.3K

112.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$950 E£53.2K

314.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$663 E£37.1K

829.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$141 E£7,910

419.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

26.5

-56.79%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $337 in Sharm El Sheikh. 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 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $21 in Sharm El Sheikh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $51 – making Sharm El Sheikh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

10:12 10:12 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

38,478

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.97 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.31 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sharm El Sheikh 11,720 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 172%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $663 in Sharm El Sheikh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 398% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $21 in Sharm El Sheikh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sharm El Sheikh, where all-in costs run around $442, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sharm El Sheikh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $442 in Sharm El Sheikh to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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