Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alghero and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,696 in Alghero, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Alghero
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,696
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,696 per month in Alghero vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Alghero $1,696
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,705 per month in Alghero vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Alghero $2,705
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,715 per month in Alghero vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Alghero $3,715
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Alghero costs about 40% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Alghero sits 26% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Alghero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.60 €20.10
$10.76 MX$199
110.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.5 €75.2
$43.03 MX$795
96.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.51 €9.35
$11.79 MX$218
-10.86%
Cappuccino
$2.09 €1.86
$3.87 MX$71.4
-45.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 €2.55
$1.37 MX$25.29
109.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 €1.37
$0.84 MX$15.44
83.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.48 €4.88
$3.10 MX$57.3
76.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.94
$5.07 MX$93.6
-34.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Alghero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.44 MX$26.55
11.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.70 €2.40
$2.23 MX$41.23
21.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.91 €2.59
$1.47 MX$27.17
97.96%
Eggs
$3.78 €3.36
$2.53 MX$46.71
49.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.06 €18.73
$7.30 MX$135
188.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.20 €10.86
$7.86 MX$145
55.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.70 €20.19
$12.79 MX$236
77.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.58 €2.29
$2.90 MX$53.6
-11.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.79 €1.59
$1.44 MX$26.53
24.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 €1.98
$2.55 MX$47.07
-12.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.58 €3.19
$2.06 MX$38.03
73.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 €1.71
$2.00 MX$36.97
-4.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.01 MX$37.07
12.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.19 MX$22.02
28.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 €0.50
$1.26 MX$23.23
-55.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$4.40 MX$81.4
52.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.35 €7.43
$9.59 MX$177
-12.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.27
$1.59 MX$29.41
-10.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$2.81 MX$51.9
-38.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Alghero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.64 €1.46
$0.57 MX$10.47
187.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.61 €37.90
$27.82 MX$514
53.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.27 €8.24
$4.98 MX$92.1
86.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 €1.32
$3.50 MX$64.6
-57.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.80 €28.29
$5.40 MX$99.8
488.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 €1.78
$1.47 MX$27.08
36.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.3K €32.3K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
73.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.3K €31.4K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
47.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alghero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 €138
$84.2 MX$1,556
83.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.76 €7.79
$23.99 MX$443
-63.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.83 €26.54
$29.02 MX$536
2.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Alghero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.9 €50.6
$63.0 MX$1,164
-9.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.31 €20.73
$29.14 MX$539
-20.01%
Cinema Ticket
$8.96 €7.97
$4.94 MX$91.3
81.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Alghero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$429 €382
$204 MX$3,763
110.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,179 €7,275
$3,941 MX$72.8K
107.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Alghero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.6 €59.3
$43.60 MX$806
52.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.31 €37.63
$43.12 MX$797
-1.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.8 €79.9
$75.8 MX$1,400
18.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €104
$88.6 MX$1,637
31.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Alghero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$603 €536
$1,008 MX$18.6K
-40.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$568 €505
$374 MX$6,911
51.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,146 €1,019
$1,708 MX$31.6K
-32.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,013 €901
$1,106 MX$20.4K
-8.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,887 €2,568
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-26.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,995 €1,775
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-67.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Alghero
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,992 €1,772
$754 MX$13.9K
164.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.27
11.45
-71.44%

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

Last update for Alghero: October 13, 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
Alghero
$568
Playa del Carmen
$374 34.1% $194
Groceries & Markets
Alghero
$363
Playa del Carmen
$258 28.8% $105
Eating Out
Alghero
$289
Playa del Carmen
$202 30% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alghero
$193
Playa del Carmen
$137 29% $56
Clothing & Footwear
Alghero
$142
Playa del Carmen
$113 20.4% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Alghero
$75
Playa del Carmen
$73 2.6% $1.9
Getting Around
Alghero
$66
Playa del Carmen
$53 20.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $603 in Alghero 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 164% higher in Alghero, 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 $85.0 in Alghero versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Alghero
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
01:08 1:08 AM
18:08 6:08 PM
7 h behind Alghero
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
42,085
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Alghero Playa del Carmen 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Alghero
  • 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
Alghero vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Alghero or Playa del Carmen?
Alghero costs about 40% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Alghero and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,544 per month in Alghero and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Alghero or Playa del Carmen?
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.
How do dining costs compare in Alghero and in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Alghero and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Alghero compared to Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,696 in Alghero and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 40%.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Alghero or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Alghero at $1,696. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alghero it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Alghero or Playa del Carmen?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,696 in Alghero. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Alghero compared to Playa del Carmen?
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.
Should I move to Alghero or to Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alghero makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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