Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zagazig

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagazig: $359 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Zagazig
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Zagazig Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Zagazig

🇪🇬 Egypt

$359

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $359 in Zagazig, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Zagazig $359

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $599 in Zagazig, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Zagazig $599

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $838 in Zagazig, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Zagazig $838

Playa del Carmen costs about 235% more than Zagazig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Zagazig are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Zagazig 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$3.65 E£203

197.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$827

$14.80 E£825

198.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$220

$4.96 E£277

137.10%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.9

$0.93 E£51.6

295.70%

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

$1.34 MX$25.11

$0.27 E£14.98

396.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.44

$0.14 E£7.87

485.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$1.46 E£81.4

109.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.4

$2.21 E£123

123.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$0.75 E£41.57

96.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.47

$0.29 E£16.18

665.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.67

$0.59 E£32.78

150.85%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.59

$1.17 E£65.2

112.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$141

$3.77 E£210

99.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$149

$3.96 E£221

101.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$7.58 E£423

65.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$1.33 E£74.4

109.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$0.73 E£40.66

95.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.99

$0.38 E£21.36

589.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.99

$0.23 E£12.60

830.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.86

$0.38 E£21.19

431.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.21

$0.35 E£19.62

468.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.28

$0.08 E£4.30

1325.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.46

$0.23 E£12.85

421.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.7

$1.94 E£108

119.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$7.51 E£419

33.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$1.55 E£86.4

-0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.80

$2.03 E£113

31.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.85

$0.11 E£6.11

381.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$515

$5.41 E£302

408.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.8

$0.21 E£11.97

2233.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.3

$0.18 E£9.87

1805.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$101

$1.45 E£80.9

271.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.10

$0.41 E£22.83

253.66%

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

$21.2K MX$396.0K

$33.7K E£1.9M

-37.17%

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

$23.0K MX$430.8K

$25.7K E£1.4M

-10.43%

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

$85.4 MX$1,598

$14.13 E£788

504.10%

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

$23.46 MX$439

$4.84 E£270

384.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$532

$10.27 E£573

176.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,164

$9.84 E£549

532.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.5

$1.89 E£106

169.84%

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

$201 MX$3,763

$118 E£6,561

70.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.9K

$3,513 E£195.9K

12.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$831

$18.90 E£1,054

134.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$774

$48.48 E£2,704

-14.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,362

$111 E£6,198

-34.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,677

$16.86 E£940

431.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,976

$36.54 E£2,038

920.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.5K

$93.5 E£5,213

1071.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.9K

$283 E£15.8K

2068.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

$153 E£8,526

382.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

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 Zagazig: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Zagazig

$37 10.2% 90.2% $336

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Zagazig

$117 32.5% 54.8% $142

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Zagazig

$69 19.1% 65.8% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Zagazig

$29 8.1% 78.7% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Zagazig

$88 24.5% 21.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Zagazig

$14 3.8% 81.2% $59

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Zagazig

$7 1.9% 86.6% $45

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $15 in Zagazig. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $117 – making Zagazig the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇬 Zagazig

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

285,097

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Zagazig 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zagazig

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 Zagazig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 235%, 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 $539 in Zagazig. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $359 in Zagazig. That’s a gap of about 235%.

Public transport costs about 80% less in Zagazig. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zagazig, where all-in costs run around $359, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Zagazig 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 $359 in Zagazig to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Zagazig. 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.