Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Souk Ahras

For one person, living is cheaper in Souk Ahras: $492 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Souk Ahras
Learn more

Souk Ahras Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Souk Ahras

🇩🇿 Algeria

$492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Souk Ahras

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $492 in Souk Ahras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Souk Ahras $492

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $771 in Souk Ahras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Souk Ahras $771

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,051 in Souk Ahras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Souk Ahras $1,051

Playa del Carmen costs about 146% more than Souk Ahras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Souk Ahras are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Souk Ahras 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$196

$2.26 DZD 302

376.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$786

$10.45 DZD 1,400

311.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$215

$4.02 DZD 538

193.28%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$70.6

$0.63 DZD 84.0

514.29%

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

$1.37 MX$24.98

$0.48 DZD 64.5

185.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.26

$0.26 DZD 34.98

223.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$56.6

$1.36 DZD 183

127.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$92.5

$2.06 DZD 275

146.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.23

$0.83 DZD 111

73.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$40.74

$0.22 DZD 29.17

913.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$26.84

$1.24 DZD 167

18.55%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.15

$1.23 DZD 165

105.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$133

$3.35 DZD 449

117.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$143

$2.83 DZD 380

177.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$234

$16.28 DZD 2,181

-21.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.0

$1.50 DZD 201

93.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.21

$2.95 DZD 395

-51.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$46.51

$1.12 DZD 150

127.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.57

$0.91 DZD 122

126.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.53

$0.38 DZD 50.9

426.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.62

$0.40 DZD 53.2

402.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$21.75

$0.22 DZD 29.40

440.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$22.95

$0.28 DZD 37.79

350.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$80.4

$2.15 DZD 288

104.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$175

$6.65 DZD 891

44.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.06

$1.14 DZD 153

39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.3

$1.74 DZD 233

61.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.34

$0.17 DZD 23.44

235.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$508

$5.98 DZD 801

365.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$91.0

$0.55 DZD 73.1

805.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$63.9

$0.49 DZD 65.1

614.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$98.6

$4.91 DZD 658

9.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$26.75

$0.32 DZD 42.91

359.37%

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

$21.0K MX$383.2K

$31.3K DZD 4.2M

-33.02%

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

$23.9K MX$436.5K

$34.7K DZD 4.7M

-31.19%

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

$84.2 MX$1,537

$35.87 DZD 4,807

134.76%

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

$23.99 MX$438

$9.06 DZD 1,214

164.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$530

$19.29 DZD 2,585

50.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,150

$11.48 DZD 1,538

448.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$532

$3.93 DZD 526

641.48%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$90.2

$4.56 DZD 611

8.33%

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

$204 MX$3,718

$88.6 DZD 11.9K

129.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.0K

$4,059 DZD 544.0K

-2.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$796

$29.49 DZD 3,952

47.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$787

$32.54 DZD 4,361

32.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,383

$75.8 DZD 10.2K

-0.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,617

$76.3 DZD 10.2K

16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.4K

$142 DZD 19.0K

611.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,829

$93.3 DZD 12.5K

301.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.2K

$290 DZD 38.9K

488.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.2K

$174 DZD 23.4K

534.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.0K

$956 DZD 128.2K

312.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$112.6K

$1,018 DZD 136.4K

506.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.8K

$285 DZD 38.3K

164.21%

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 Souk Ahras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Souk Ahras

$93 19% 75.1% $281

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Souk Ahras

$156 31.8% 39.5% $102

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Souk Ahras

$52 10.5% 74.5% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Souk Ahras

$64 13.1% 53.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Souk Ahras

$96 19.6% 14.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Souk Ahras

$21 4.2% 71.7% $52

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Souk Ahras

$9.7 2% 81.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $142 in Souk Ahras. 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 164% 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 $10.00 in Souk Ahras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $156 – making Souk Ahras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇿 Souk Ahras

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

13:59 1:59 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

155,259

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.48 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.68 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 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Souk Ahras 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Souk Ahras

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 Souk Ahras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 146%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $738 in Souk Ahras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $492 in Souk Ahras. That's a gap of about 146%.

Public transport costs about 365% less in Souk Ahras. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Souk Ahras, where all-in costs run around $492, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Souk Ahras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Souk Ahras – 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 Souk Ahras. 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.