Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcoy and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,558 in Alcoy, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alcoy outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Alcoy
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Alcoy Living Index
59

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

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Alcoy

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,558

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,558 per month in Alcoy vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alcoy $1,558
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,293 per month in Alcoy vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alcoy $2,293
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,028 per month in Alcoy vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alcoy $3,028
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Alcoy costs about 29% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Alcoy sits 15% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 €8.97

$10.76 MX$199

-6.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.1

$43.03 MX$795

30.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 €11.59

$11.79 MX$218

10.52%

Cappuccino

$1.83 €1.63

$3.87 MX$71.4

-52.71%

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

$1.69 €1.51

$1.37 MX$25.29

23.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.84 MX$15.44

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.10 MX$57.3

7.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$5.07 MX$93.6

-52.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.44 MX$26.55

-28.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.32

$2.23 MX$41.23

-33.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.47 MX$27.17

-7.48%

Eggs

$3.37 €3.00

$2.53 MX$46.71

33.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 €11.97

$7.30 MX$135

84.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 €7.42

$7.86 MX$145

6.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.73 €13.99

$12.79 MX$236

22.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.90 MX$53.6

-10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.44 MX$26.53

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.55 MX$47.07

-27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.06 MX$38.03

24.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.00 MX$36.97

-7.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.01 MX$37.07

1.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.19 MX$22.02

11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.26 MX$23.23

-54.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 €5.55

$4.40 MX$81.4

41.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.75 €5.11

$9.59 MX$177

-40.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.59 MX$29.41

-22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.81 MX$51.9

-50.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.57 MX$10.47

189.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.06 €29.41

$27.82 MX$514

18.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 €3.66

$4.98 MX$92.1

-17.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$3.50 MX$64.6

-59.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.58 €20.09

$5.40 MX$99.8

318.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.47 MX$27.08

22.45%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

68.05%

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

$29.4K €26.2K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

23.12%

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

$146 €130

$84.2 MX$1,556

73.04%

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

$18.03 €16.04

$23.99 MX$443

-24.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.72 €26.44

$29.02 MX$536

2.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.74 €39.80

$63.0 MX$1,164

-28.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.66 €13.93

$29.14 MX$539

-46.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 €8.00

$4.94 MX$91.3

81.98%

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

$473 €421

$204 MX$3,763

132.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,402 €7,474

$3,941 MX$72.8K

113.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 €75.1

$43.60 MX$806

93.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.40 €32.37

$43.12 MX$797

-15.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 €81.0

$75.8 MX$1,400

20.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €97.9

$88.6 MX$1,637

24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 €804

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-10.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 €596

$374 MX$6,911

79.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 €1,185

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-22.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 €887

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-9.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,340 €2,971

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-15.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,198 €1,955

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-64.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,883 €1,675

$754 MX$13.9K

149.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

11.45

-71.18%

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

Last update for Alcoy: 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

Alcoy

$670 43%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 44.2% $296

Groceries & Markets

Alcoy

$261 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 1.1% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcoy

$193 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 29.1% $56

Eating Out

Alcoy

$175 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 15.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Alcoy

$145 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 22% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Alcoy

$63 4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 16.2% $10

Getting Around

Alcoy

$51 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 3.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Alcoy versus $1,008 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 150% higher in Alcoy, 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 $56.0 in Alcoy versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alcoy

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

15:13 3:13 PM

7 h behind Alcoy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,493

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alcoy Playa del Carmen 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alcoy
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,558 in Alcoy, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,338 per month in Alcoy and $1,816 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.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Alcoy, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Alcoy and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Alcoy at $1,558. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alcoy 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,558 in Alcoy. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Alcoy makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.