Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Souk Ahras and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Souk Ahras: $500 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Souk Ahras, Algeria
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Souk Ahras
🇩🇿 Algeria
$500
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Souk Ahras 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 Souk Ahras and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $500 per month in Souk Ahras vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Souk Ahras $500
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $782 per month in Souk Ahras vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Souk Ahras $782
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,065 per month in Souk Ahras vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Souk Ahras $1,065
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Souk Ahras is about 59% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Souk Ahras and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Souk Ahras 63% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Souk Ahras
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 DZD 302
$10.92 MX$204
-79.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.47 DZD 1,410
$43.37 MX$808
-75.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.10 DZD 552
$11.78 MX$220
-65.20%
Cappuccino
$0.67 DZD 90.1
$3.81 MX$71.0
-82.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 DZD 64.8
$1.28 MX$23.90
-62.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 DZD 30.75
$0.78 MX$14.59
-70.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.70 DZD 228
$3.17 MX$59.0
-46.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 DZD 330
$4.93 MX$92.0
-50.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Souk Ahras
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.83 DZD 112
$1.41 MX$26.22
-41.13%
White Bread (500g)
$0.17 DZD 22.24
$2.22 MX$41.33
-92.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 DZD 169
$1.42 MX$26.42
-11.27%
Eggs
$1.19 DZD 160
$2.52 MX$47.03
-52.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.32 DZD 447
$7.26 MX$135
-54.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.82 DZD 380
$7.70 MX$143
-63.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.44 DZD 2,213
$12.69 MX$237
29.55%
Apples (1kg)
$1.45 DZD 196
$2.78 MX$51.9
-47.84%
Banana (1kg)
$2.88 DZD 388
$1.37 MX$25.50
110.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.10 DZD 149
$2.55 MX$47.55
-56.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.97 DZD 130
$2.12 MX$39.58
-54.25%
Potato (1kg)
$0.40 DZD 53.4
$1.94 MX$36.13
-79.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.38 DZD 50.9
$1.89 MX$35.16
-79.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.22 DZD 29.43
$1.15 MX$21.37
-80.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.28 DZD 37.92
$1.18 MX$21.98
-76.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.17 DZD 292
$4.30 MX$80.1
-49.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.68 DZD 899
$9.95 MX$185
-32.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 DZD 145
$1.58 MX$29.52
-31.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 DZD 294
$2.67 MX$49.79
-18.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Souk Ahras
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.18 DZD 23.71
$0.55 MX$10.31
-67.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.28 DZD 846
$26.62 MX$496
-76.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.57 DZD 76.5
$4.97 MX$92.6
-88.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 DZD 70.7
$3.33 MX$62.1
-84.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.60 DZD 620
$5.36 MX$99.8
-14.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.33 DZD 43.82
$1.44 MX$26.92
-77.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.0K DZD 4.3M
$20.7K MX$385.2K
54.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K DZD 4.6M
$23.5K MX$437.4K
45.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Souk Ahras
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$36.36 DZD 4,896
$84.8 MX$1,581
-57.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.31 DZD 1,253
$23.41 MX$436
-60.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.12 DZD 2,575
$28.66 MX$534
-33.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Souk Ahras
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$11.80 DZD 1,589
$57.1 MX$1,063
-79.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.79 DZD 511
$28.91 MX$539
-86.89%
Cinema Ticket
$4.59 DZD 618
$5.14 MX$95.8
-10.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Souk Ahras
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$88.1 DZD 11.9K
$207 MX$3,851
-57.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,890 DZD 658.5K
$3,927 MX$73.2K
24.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Souk Ahras
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.07 DZD 4,049
$43.35 MX$808
-30.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.06 DZD 4,857
$41.44 MX$772
-12.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.6 DZD 10.3K
$74.2 MX$1,383
3.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.1 DZD 10.5K
$89.3 MX$1,664
-12.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Souk Ahras
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$144 DZD 19.4K
$980 MX$18.3K
-85.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$93.6 DZD 12.6K
$381 MX$7,099
-75.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$292 DZD 39.4K
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-82.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$175 DZD 23.5K
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-83.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$966 DZD 130.0K
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-75.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,030 DZD 138.7K
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-83.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Souk Ahras
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$288 DZD 38.8K
$735 MX$13.7K
-60.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.3
11.45
-53.71%

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

Last update for Souk Ahras: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Souk Ahras
$156
Playa del Carmen
$255 63.1% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Souk Ahras
$99
Playa del Carmen
$112 12.4% $12
Accommodation & Living
Souk Ahras
$94
Playa del Carmen
$381 307% $287
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Souk Ahras
$65
Playa del Carmen
$137 111% $72
Eating Out
Souk Ahras
$54
Playa del Carmen
$202 272% $148
Sport & Entertainment
Souk Ahras
$21
Playa del Carmen
$67 221% $46
Getting Around
Souk Ahras
$10
Playa del Carmen
$50 396% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $144 in Souk Ahras 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 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10 in Souk Ahras versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $255 – making Souk Ahras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇩🇿 Souk Ahras
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
02:23 2:23 AM
20:23 8:23 PM
6 h behind Souk Ahras
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
155,259
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to DZD – Algerian Dinar Converter

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Souk Ahras Playa del Carmen 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Souk Ahras
  • 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
Souk Ahras vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Souk Ahras cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $749 per month in Souk Ahras and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Souk Ahras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $144 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Souk Ahras and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $500 in Souk Ahras and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Souk Ahras about 59% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 76% less in Souk Ahras. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Souk Ahras or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Souk Ahras, where all-in costs run around $500, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Souk Ahras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Souk Ahras or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Souk Ahras. 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.

Souk Ahras vs other spots: cost of living compared

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