Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tel Aviv-Yafo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $3,627 in Tel Aviv-Yafo, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in Tel Aviv-Yafo
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Tel Aviv-Yafo Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

🇮🇱 Israel

$3,627

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tel Aviv-Yafo 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 Tel Aviv-Yafo and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,627 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tel Aviv-Yafo $3,627
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $5,355 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tel Aviv-Yafo $5,355
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $7,083 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tel Aviv-Yafo $7,083
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Tel Aviv-Yafo costs about 198% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tel Aviv-Yafo sits 171% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.58 ₪81.3

$10.97 MX$201

142.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 ₪393

$44.85 MX$823

186.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.71 ₪63.4

$11.92 MX$219

73.74%

Cappuccino

$5.49 ₪16.81

$3.80 MX$69.9

44.47%

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

$4.06 ₪12.43

$1.31 MX$24.08

209.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ₪9.91

$0.86 MX$15.72

276.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.03 ₪33.75

$3.21 MX$59.0

243.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.32 ₪34.64

$5.01 MX$92.0

125.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 ₪7.94

$1.46 MX$26.77

78.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.48 ₪13.72

$2.33 MX$42.72

92.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 ₪11.71

$1.44 MX$26.48

165.97%

Eggs

$5.32 ₪16.29

$2.46 MX$45.20

116.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.03 ₪67.4

$7.70 MX$141

186.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.17 ₪49.47

$7.89 MX$145

104.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.43 ₪77.8

$12.80 MX$235

98.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 ₪14.33

$2.92 MX$53.6

60.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.96 ₪12.11

$1.42 MX$26.11

178.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 ₪7.74

$2.57 MX$47.10

-1.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 ₪10.19

$2.14 MX$39.24

55.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 ₪5.85

$1.95 MX$35.75

-2.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 ₪5.84

$1.94 MX$35.55

-1.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 ₪7.97

$1.15 MX$21.13

126.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₪8.05

$1.22 MX$22.42

115.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.56 ₪44.56

$4.38 MX$80.3

232.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 ₪49.29

$9.85 MX$181

63.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.78 ₪11.56

$1.54 MX$28.23

145.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 ₪14.58

$2.72 MX$49.86

75.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 ₪7.84

$0.52 MX$9.64

392.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 ₪310

$27.42 MX$503

269.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.25 ₪13.02

$4.91 MX$90.2

-13.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 ₪3.39

$3.52 MX$64.7

-68.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.53 ₪59.8

$5.69 MX$104

243.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 ₪8.08

$1.54 MX$28.27

71.43%

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

$56.3K ₪172.3K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

165.11%

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

$57.5K ₪176.0K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

134.88%

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

$451 ₪1,381

$83.6 MX$1,535

439.88%

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

$11.34 ₪34.68

$24.03 MX$441

-52.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.33 ₪111

$29.33 MX$539

23.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 ₪339

$64.9 MX$1,191

70.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₪70.5

$29.46 MX$541

-21.79%

Cinema Ticket

$16.19 ₪49.54

$5.09 MX$93.4

218.07%

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

$1,727 ₪5,286

$208 MX$3,813

731.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ₪95.4K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

670.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 ₪379

$44.55 MX$818

177.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$86.7 ₪265

$42.06 MX$772

106.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$175 ₪536

$75.5 MX$1,387

132.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$200 ₪611

$91.4 MX$1,678

118.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 ₪6,941

$986 MX$18.1K

129.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 ₪4,979

$385 MX$7,072

322.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,597 ₪11.0K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

109.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,749 ₪8,411

$1,108 MX$20.4K

148.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$20.3K ₪62.1K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

405.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.2K ₪40.5K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

111.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,179 ₪12.8K

$758 MX$13.9K

451.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.03

11.45

-56.07%

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

Last update for Tel Aviv-Yafo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$1.6K 45%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 76.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$517 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 49.6% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$499 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 72.6% $362

Eating Out

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$448 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 54.4% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$264 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 56.7% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$143 4%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 47.6% $68

Getting Around

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$121 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 57.1% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,269 in Tel Aviv-Yafo versus $986 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 run about 451% higher in Tel Aviv-Yafo, 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 $129 in Tel Aviv-Yafo versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $517 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Tel Aviv-Yafo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

02:52 2:52 AM

8 h behind Tel Aviv-Yafo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

438,818

149,923

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.327 USD

1 ILS = 0.291 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.06 ILS (1 ILS = 0.327 USD). 1 EUR = 3.43 ILS (1 ILS = 0.291 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tel Aviv-Yafo Playa del Carmen 11,500 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Tel Aviv-Yafo
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

Tel Aviv-Yafo vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tel Aviv-Yafo is pricier by about 198%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,441 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo and $1,823 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 Playa del Carmen, 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 $3,627 in Tel Aviv-Yafo and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 198%.

Public transport costs about 270% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Tel Aviv-Yafo at $3,627. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tel Aviv-Yafo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tel Aviv-Yafo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.