Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almada and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,854 in Almada, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Almada
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Almada Living Index
58

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

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Almada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,854

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,854 per month in Almada vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Almada $1,854
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,684 per month in Almada vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Almada $2,684
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,514 per month in Almada vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Almada $3,514
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Almada costs about 54% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Almada sits 36% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 €15.29

$10.92 MX$205

56.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 €49.36

$43.37 MX$814

27.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.83

$11.78 MX$221

-6.79%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.31

$3.81 MX$71.5

-32.28%

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

$1.51 €1.35

$1.28 MX$24.07

17.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.78 MX$14.70

53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €3.02

$3.17 MX$59.5

6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.07

$4.93 MX$92.7

-30.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.41 MX$26.40

-26.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.13

$2.22 MX$41.62

-43.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.42 MX$26.61

7.75%

Eggs

$3.67 €3.29

$2.52 MX$47.36

45.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.85 €10.62

$7.26 MX$136

63.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 €6.98

$7.70 MX$144

1.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 €13.40

$12.69 MX$238

17.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.78 MX$52.3

-21.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.37 MX$25.68

-5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$2.55 MX$47.89

-27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.12 MX$39.86

22.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.94 MX$36.39

-7.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.89 MX$35.41

-7.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.15 MX$21.53

39.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.18 MX$22.13

-32.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 €5.44

$4.30 MX$80.6

41.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 €4.93

$9.95 MX$187

-44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.58 MX$29.73

-15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.67 MX$50.1

-22.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.96

$0.55 MX$10.39

298.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.91 €39.33

$26.62 MX$500

64.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 €3.40

$4.97 MX$93.3

-23.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 €0.68

$3.33 MX$62.5

-77.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.45 €14.73

$5.36 MX$101

206.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.44 MX$27.11

50.69%

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

$34.0K €30.4K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

64.34%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

63.60%

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

$108 €96.7

$84.8 MX$1,592

27.35%

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

$18.46 €16.53

$23.41 MX$439

-21.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.76 €30.23

$28.66 MX$538

17.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.32 €32.53

$57.1 MX$1,071

-36.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 €13.49

$28.91 MX$543

-47.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 €7.54

$5.14 MX$96.5

63.81%

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

$625 €560

$207 MX$3,878

202.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

187.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$43.35 MX$814

133.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.82 €40.14

$41.44 MX$778

8.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 €74.6

$74.2 MX$1,393

12.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €94.4

$89.3 MX$1,676

18.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 €1,006

$980 MX$18.4K

14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 €848

$381 MX$7,150

148.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,550

$1,708 MX$32.1K

1.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 €1,261

$1,075 MX$20.2K

30.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,140 €4,603

$3,943 MX$74.0K

30.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,218 €2,882

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-47.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,325 €1,187

$735 MX$13.8K

80.44%

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 Almada: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Almada

$946 51%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 59.8% $566

Groceries & Markets

Almada

$249 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 2.4% $6

Eating Out

Almada

$235 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 13.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almada

$160 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 14.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Almada

$151 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25.9% $39

Getting Around

Almada

$60 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 16.3% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Almada

$53 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 26.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,123 in Almada versus $980 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 80% higher in Almada. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Almada versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Almada vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Almada wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Almada

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

13:23 1:23 PM

5 h behind Almada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,268

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almada Playa del Carmen 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Almada
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,854 in Almada, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,782 per month in Almada and $1,806 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,123 in Almada.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,854 in Almada and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 35% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Almada and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Almada at $1,854. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almada 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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almada makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.