Last update: Oct 2026

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

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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Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$442

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sharm El Sheikh and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sharm El Sheikh is about 63% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.07 E£1,180

$43.37 MX$808

-51.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 E£249

$11.78 MX$219

-62.14%

Cappuccino

$2.17 E£122

$3.81 MX$71.0

-43.04%

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

$0.33 E£18.71

$1.28 MX$23.89

-74.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 E£28.57

$0.78 MX$14.58

-34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 E£194

$3.17 MX$59.0

9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 E£244

$4.93 MX$91.9

-11.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 E£46.19

$1.41 MX$26.20

-41.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.42 E£23.72

$1.42 MX$26.40

-70.42%

Eggs

$1.08 E£60.4

$2.52 MX$47.00

-57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 E£193

$7.70 MX$143

-55.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 E£77.8

$2.78 MX$51.9

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 E£25.39

$1.37 MX$25.49

-67.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.42 E£23.78

$2.55 MX$47.52

-83.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.26 E£14.42

$2.12 MX$39.55

-87.74%

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)

$2.06 E£115

$4.30 MX$80.0

-52.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 E£78.0

$1.58 MX$29.50

-12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.08 E£4.38

$0.55 MX$10.31

-85.45%

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)

$0.43 E£24.08

$1.44 MX$26.90

-70.14%

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

$29.6K E£1.7M

$20.7K MX$385.0K

43.44%

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

$20.4K E£1.1M

$23.5K MX$437.2K

-13.10%

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)

$10.80 E£605

$23.41 MX$436

-53.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.30 E£1,528

$28.66 MX$534

-4.75%

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)

$337 E£18.8K

$980 MX$18.2K

-65.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 E£15.9K

$381 MX$7,095

-25.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$588 E£32.9K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-65.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 E£28.3K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-52.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$950 E£53.2K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-75.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$663 E£37.1K

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-89.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$141 E£7,910

$735 MX$13.7K

-80.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.5

11.45

131.44%

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

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $337 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $21 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $51 vs $255 – making Sharm El Sheikh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

21:26 9:26 PM

8 h behind Sharm El Sheikh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,478

149,923

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Sharm El Sheikh
Playa del Carmen

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

Sharm El Sheikh vs Playa del Carmen: 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 $663 per month in Sharm El Sheikh and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $21 in Sharm El Sheikh and $43 in Playa del Carmen. 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.