Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Argostoli and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,358 in Argostoli, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Argostoli
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Argostoli Living Index
59

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

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Argostoli

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,358 per month in Argostoli vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Argostoli $1,358
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Argostoli vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Argostoli $2,073
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,789 per month in Argostoli vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Argostoli $2,789
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Argostoli costs about 12% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Argostoli sits 1% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.28 €10.02

$10.76 MX$198

4.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 €51.6

$43.03 MX$792

35.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 €8.15

$11.79 MX$217

-22.14%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.81

$3.87 MX$71.1

10.85%

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

$2.34 €2.08

$1.37 MX$25.18

70.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.84 MX$15.38

-35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 €4.03

$3.10 MX$57.0

46.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.97

$5.07 MX$93.2

-11.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 €1.37

$1.44 MX$26.43

7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.23 MX$41.05

-36.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.47 MX$27.05

63.95%

Eggs

$5.14 €4.57

$2.53 MX$46.51

103.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 €10.03

$7.30 MX$134

54.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.76 €8.67

$7.86 MX$145

24.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 €12.68

$12.79 MX$235

11.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.90 MX$53.4

-21.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.44 MX$26.41

53.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.55 MX$46.87

-30.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.06 MX$37.86

-4.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 €0.99

$2.00 MX$36.81

-44.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.01 MX$36.91

-37.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.19 MX$21.92

-25.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.26 MX$23.12

-34.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 €4.66

$4.40 MX$81.0

19.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 €6.09

$9.59 MX$176

-28.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.46

$1.59 MX$29.29

3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.81 MX$51.7

21.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 €1.24

$0.57 MX$10.42

145.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.58 €38.70

$27.82 MX$512

56.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.98 MX$91.7

-11.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.50 MX$64.4

-68.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.82 €12.27

$5.40 MX$99.4

155.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.47 MX$26.96

50.34%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$21.0K MX$386.1K

32.18%

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

$23.7K €21.0K

$23.9K MX$439.9K

-1.03%

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

$161 €143

$84.2 MX$1,549

90.75%

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

$24.63 €21.87

$23.99 MX$441

2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.27 €25.11

$29.02 MX$534

-2.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 €45.44

$63.0 MX$1,159

-18.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.18 €22.36

$29.14 MX$536

-13.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 €8.07

$4.94 MX$90.9

84.01%

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

$476 €423

$204 MX$3,746

133.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,442 €3,945

$3,941 MX$72.5K

12.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 €61.3

$43.60 MX$802

58.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €31.92

$43.12 MX$793

-16.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 €66.5

$75.8 MX$1,394

-1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 €96.9

$88.6 MX$1,630

23.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 €423

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-52.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 €354

$374 MX$6,881

6.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 €651

$1,708 MX$31.4K

-57.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 €544

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-44.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,612 €2,319

$3,944 MX$72.6K

-33.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 €1,932

$6,169 MX$113.5K

-64.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.36

11.45

-61.92%

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

Last update for Argostoli: October 12, 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

Argostoli

$398 29.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 6.1% $24

Groceries & Markets

Argostoli

$275 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 6.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Argostoli

$214 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 35.7% $76

Eating Out

Argostoli

$212 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 4.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Argostoli

$130 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 13.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Argostoli

$69 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 5.1% $3.5

Getting Around

Argostoli

$59 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 11% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $477 in Argostoli 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Argostoli versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Argostoli

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

08:03 8:03 AM

8 h behind Argostoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Argostoli Playa del Carmen 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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Argostoli
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

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

Yes – Argostoli is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,037 per month in Argostoli 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 6% more in Argostoli, 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 $58.0 in Argostoli 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 Argostoli at $1,358. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Argostoli 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.

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