Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcabideche and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,607 in Alcabideche, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alcabideche outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Alcabideche
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Alcabideche Living Index
59

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

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Alcabideche

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,607

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Alcabideche versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Alcabideche $1,607
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,379 in Alcabideche versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Alcabideche $2,379
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,152 in Alcabideche versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Alcabideche $3,152
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Alcabideche is roughly 33% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alcabideche is 19% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 €10.94

$10.76 MX$199

14.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 €48.87

$43.03 MX$795

27.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 €8.16

$11.79 MX$218

-22.14%

Cappuccino

$2.46 €2.19

$3.87 MX$71.4

-36.43%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$1.37 MX$25.29

8.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.84 MX$15.44

40.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 €2.47

$3.10 MX$57.3

-10.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.03

$5.07 MX$93.6

-32.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.44 MX$26.55

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.23 MX$41.23

-43.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.47 MX$27.17

7.48%

Eggs

$3.47 €3.09

$2.53 MX$46.71

37.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 €8.00

$7.30 MX$135

23.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 €6.69

$7.86 MX$145

-4.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 €13.26

$12.79 MX$236

16.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.90 MX$53.6

3.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.44 MX$26.53

-13.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.55 MX$47.07

-30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.06 MX$38.03

10.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.00 MX$36.97

-2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.01 MX$37.07

-15.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.19 MX$22.02

30.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.26 MX$23.23

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 €5.20

$4.40 MX$81.4

32.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.38 €3.01

$9.59 MX$177

-64.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.59 MX$29.41

-42.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.81 MX$51.9

-14.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.13

$0.57 MX$10.47

321.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

$27.82 MX$514

41.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 €3.31

$4.98 MX$92.1

-25.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 €0.68

$3.50 MX$64.6

-78.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 €15.09

$5.40 MX$99.8

214.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.47 MX$27.08

42.18%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

57.19%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

59.71%

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

$97.8 €87.0

$84.2 MX$1,556

16.08%

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

$20.89 €18.59

$23.99 MX$443

-12.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.34 €30.55

$29.02 MX$536

18.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.18 €35.74

$63.0 MX$1,164

-36.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.90 €14.14

$29.14 MX$539

-45.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 €6.85

$4.94 MX$91.3

55.87%

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

$586 €521

$204 MX$3,763

187.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,831

$3,941 MX$72.8K

180.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €99.4

$43.60 MX$806

156.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 €29.62

$43.12 MX$797

-22.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 €74.2

$75.8 MX$1,400

10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.5

$88.6 MX$1,637

18.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 €850

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-5.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 €687

$374 MX$6,911

106.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,513 €1,346

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-11.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,057

$1,106 MX$20.4K

7.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,032 €2,697

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-23.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 €1,975

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-64.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,069 €951

$754 MX$13.9K

41.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

11.45

-69.08%

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

Last update for Alcabideche: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alcabideche

$772 48%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 51.6% $398

Groceries & Markets

Alcabideche

$233 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 11% $26

Eating Out

Alcabideche

$187 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 8.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcabideche

$153 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 10.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Alcabideche

$150 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 24.7% $37

Getting Around

Alcabideche

$56 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 6.8% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Alcabideche

$56 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 31.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Alcabideche and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcabideche pays 42% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Alcabideche vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $258, with Alcabideche cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Alcabideche

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

6 h behind Alcabideche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,177

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alcabideche Playa del Carmen 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Alcabideche
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

Alcabideche vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Alcabideche. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Alcabideche, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $956 in Alcabideche versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,607 per month in Alcabideche versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 41% less than in Alcabideche. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,607 in Alcabideche, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Alcabideche. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alcabideche and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Alcabideche. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.