Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagazig and Playa del Carmen

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.

17

Cost of Living Index in Zagazig
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Zagazig Living Index
59

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

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Zagazig

🇪🇬 Egypt

$359

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Zagazig $359
Playa del Carmen $1,204

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

Zagazig $599
Playa del Carmen $2,102

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

Zagazig $838
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Zagazig is about 70% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 E£203

$10.86 MX$203

-66.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.80 E£825

$44.21 MX$827

-66.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 E£277

$11.76 MX$220

-57.82%

Cappuccino

$0.93 E£51.6

$3.68 MX$68.9

-74.73%

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

$0.27 E£14.98

$1.34 MX$25.11

-79.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£7.87

$0.82 MX$15.44

-82.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 E£81.4

$3.06 MX$57.3

-52.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£123

$4.94 MX$92.4

-55.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 E£41.57

$1.47 MX$27.52

-48.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.29 E£16.18

$2.22 MX$41.47

-86.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.59 E£32.78

$1.48 MX$27.67

-60.14%

Eggs

$1.17 E£65.2

$2.49 MX$46.59

-53.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.77 E£210

$7.52 MX$141

-49.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 E£221

$7.96 MX$149

-50.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 E£423

$12.57 MX$235

-39.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 E£74.4

$2.78 MX$52.0

-52.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£40.66

$1.43 MX$26.71

-48.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.38 E£21.36

$2.62 MX$48.99

-85.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.23 E£12.60

$2.14 MX$39.99

-89.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£21.19

$2.02 MX$37.86

-81.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.62

$1.99 MX$37.21

-82.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.08 E£4.30

$1.14 MX$21.28

-92.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 E£12.85

$1.20 MX$22.46

-80.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 E£108

$4.26 MX$79.7

-54.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 E£419

$10.02 MX$187

-25.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 E£86.4

$1.54 MX$28.77

0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 E£113

$2.66 MX$49.80

-23.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.11 E£6.11

$0.53 MX$9.85

-79.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.41 E£302

$27.51 MX$515

-80.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.21 E£11.97

$4.90 MX$91.8

-95.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 E£9.87

$3.43 MX$64.3

-94.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 E£80.9

$5.38 MX$101

-73.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.41 E£22.83

$1.45 MX$27.10

-71.72%

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

$33.7K E£1.9M

$21.2K MX$396.0K

59.15%

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

$25.7K E£1.4M

$23.0K MX$430.8K

11.64%

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

$14.13 E£788

$85.4 MX$1,598

-83.45%

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

$4.84 E£270

$23.46 MX$439

-79.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.27 E£573

$28.43 MX$532

-63.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.84 E£549

$62.2 MX$1,164

-84.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$1.89 E£106

$5.10 MX$95.5

-62.94%

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

$118 E£6,561

$201 MX$3,763

-41.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,513 E£195.9K

$3,947 MX$73.9K

-10.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.90 E£1,054

$44.39 MX$831

-57.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.48 E£2,704

$41.35 MX$774

17.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£6,198

$72.7 MX$1,362

52.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$16.86 E£940

$89.6 MX$1,677

-81.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$36.54 E£2,038

$373 MX$6,976

-90.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.5 E£5,213

$1,095 MX$20.5K

-91.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$283 E£15.8K

$6,137 MX$114.9K

-95.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$153 E£8,526

$738 MX$13.8K

-79.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-12.66%

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

Last update for Zagazig: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zagazig

$117 32.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 122% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Zagazig

$88 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27% $24

Eating Out

Zagazig

$69 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 192% $132

Accommodation & Living

Zagazig

$37 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 920% $336

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagazig

$29 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 369% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Zagazig

$14 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 432% $59

Getting Around

Zagazig

$7 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 644% $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 $15 in Zagazig versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $117 vs $258 – making Zagazig the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Zagazig

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

01:17 1:17 AM

8 h behind Zagazig

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,097

149,923

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

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).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Zagazig
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

Zagazig vs Playa del Carmen: 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 $539 per month in Zagazig and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $359 in Zagazig and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. 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.