Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shibin Al Kawm

For one person, living is cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm: $458 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 Shibin Al Kawm
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Shibin Al Kawm Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Shibin Al Kawm

🇪🇬 Egypt

$458

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $458 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Shibin Al Kawm $458

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $730 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Shibin Al Kawm $730

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,003 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Shibin Al Kawm $1,003

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

Both Playa del Carmen and Shibin Al Kawm are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Shibin Al Kawm 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$4.16 E£230

161.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$824

$11.51 E£636

284.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$219

$4.78 E£264

146.03%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.6

$1.32 E£72.7

178.79%

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

$1.34 MX$25.01

$0.27 E£14.70

396.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.38

$0.11 E£6.15

645.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.1

$1.31 E£72.1

133.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.1

$2.93 E£162

68.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.41

$0.80 E£44.09

83.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.32

$0.72 E£39.52

208.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.57

$0.59 E£32.83

150.85%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.41

$1.19 E£66.0

109.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$3.91 E£216

92.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$4.39 E£243

81.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$234

$9.38 E£518

34.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$1.54 E£85.2

80.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.61

$0.74 E£40.71

93.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.81

$0.55 E£30.43

376.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.85

$0.33 E£18.18

548.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.72

$0.24 E£13.25

741.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.08

$0.32 E£17.78

521.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.20

$0.27 E£14.95

322.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.38

$0.20 E£11.26

500.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.4

$1.94 E£107

119.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$5.62 E£310

78.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.67

$1.25 E£69.2

23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.62

$2.23 E£123

19.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.82

$0.18 E£10.17

194.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$513

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.4

$0.56 E£30.74

775.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.1

$0.17 E£9.29

1917.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$100

$1.15 E£63.5

367.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.00

$0.43 E£23.86

237.21%

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

$21.2K MX$394.5K

$31.7K E£1.8M

-33.34%

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

$23.0K MX$429.2K

$26.6K E£1.5M

-13.32%

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

$85.4 MX$1,592

$14.50 E£801

488.69%

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

$23.46 MX$438

$6.85 E£378

242.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$530

$13.24 E£731

114.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,160

$15.90 E£878

291.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$535

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.2

$2.92 E£161

74.66%

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

$201 MX$3,749

$85.1 E£4,700

136.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.6K

$2,145 E£118.5K

84.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$828

$33.51 E£1,851

32.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$771

$45.24 E£2,500

-8.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,356

$129 E£7,142

-43.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,671

$57.1 E£3,156

56.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$133 E£7,348

636.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,950

$75.6 E£4,175

393.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.3K

$249 E£13.8K

573.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.4K

$142 E£7,853

670.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.6K

$765 E£42.3K

416.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.4K

$345 E£19.1K

1678.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

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 Shibin Al Kawm: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Shibin Al Kawm

$76 16.5% 79.7% $297

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Shibin Al Kawm

$127 27.7% 50.9% $131

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Shibin Al Kawm

$77 16.9% 61.4% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Shibin Al Kawm

$35 7.6% 74.8% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Shibin Al Kawm

$119 26.1% 6.9% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Shibin Al Kawm

$22 4.8% 70% $51

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Shibin Al Kawm

$2.1 * 0.5% 95.9% $50

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 $133 in Shibin Al Kawm. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $12 in Shibin Al Kawm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $127 – making Shibin Al Kawm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Shibin Al Kawm

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

09:56 9:56 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

184,097

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 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 = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.25 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.99 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Shibin Al Kawm 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 163%, 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 $686 in Shibin Al Kawm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $133 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $458 in Shibin Al Kawm. That’s a gap of about 163%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $85 in Shibin Al Kawm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Shibin Al Kawm, where all-in costs run around $458, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Shibin Al Kawm it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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