Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,109 in Athlone versus $1,256 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,096 in Athlone versus $2,137 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,083 in Athlone versus $3,017 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Athlone is roughly 147% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athlone is 133% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 €17.89

$11.99 MX$210

70.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.8 €82.8

$41.78 MX$731

126.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 €9.02

$10.75 MX$188

-3.91%

Cappuccino

$4.76 €4.16

$3.50 MX$61.1

36.00%

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

$2.51 €2.19

$1.45 MX$25.33

73.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.91

$0.88 MX$15.47

148.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 €6.11

$2.95 MX$51.6

136.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.80

$4.51 MX$78.9

47.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.15

$1.43 MX$25.04

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.20

$1.84 MX$32.13

-25.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.59

$1.57 MX$27.42

15.92%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.42

$2.51 MX$43.92

56.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 €10.00

$8.28 MX$145

38.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 €10.14

$8.43 MX$147

37.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 €10.84

$10.68 MX$187

16.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.40

$2.61 MX$45.62

5.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.33

$1.44 MX$25.15

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 €2.17

$1.96 MX$34.31

26.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.35

$2.09 MX$36.62

28.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.36

$1.85 MX$32.37

45.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.79

$2.17 MX$37.90

-5.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.03 MX$18.04

64.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.72

$1.07 MX$18.78

84.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.00 €17.48

$4.10 MX$71.7

387.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.42 €9.98

$10.17 MX$178

12.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.04

$1.68 MX$29.29

107.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.34

$2.53 MX$44.17

50.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 €1.65

$0.51 MX$8.90

270.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.3 €85.0

$26.04 MX$455

273.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 €4.68

$3.23 MX$56.5

65.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 €2.43

$2.41 MX$42.06

15.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.41 €25.69

$3.23 MX$56.5

810.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.81

$1.32 MX$23.10

56.82%

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

$43.3K €37.8K

$29.7K MX$519.2K

45.78%

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

$39.3K €34.3K

$23.7K MX$413.7K

66.12%

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

$245 €214

$82.0 MX$1,434

198.95%

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

$21.81 €19.05

$22.95 MX$401

-4.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.33 €41.36

$30.11 MX$527

57.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 €52.8

$52.0 MX$909

16.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.51 €15.30

$18.53 MX$324

-5.50%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 €12.20

$4.98 MX$87.0

180.32%

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

$1,345 €1,175

$197 MX$3,452

581.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,253 €6,337

$5,336 MX$93.3K

35.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €90.6

$35.60 MX$622

191.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.85 €37.44

$40.33 MX$705

6.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 €78.5

$78.8 MX$1,377

14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.7 €68.8

$88.9 MX$1,555

-11.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 €1,290

$947 MX$16.6K

55.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,783 €1,558

$474 MX$8,288

276.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 €2,165

$1,644 MX$28.7K

50.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,189 €1,913

$1,211 MX$21.2K

80.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,023

$4,056 MX$70.9K

-14.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,418 €2,986

$6,470 MX$113.1K

-47.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,974 €2,598

$654 MX$11.4K

354.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

11.42

-59.72%

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

Last update for Athlone: July 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,477 in Athlone and $947 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 355% 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: $95.0 in Athlone vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $249 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 147% lower than in Athlone. 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 355% higher in Athlone, 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: $1,477 in Athlone versus $947 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,345 in Athlone versus $197 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,256 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,109 in Athlone, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Athlone. 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 $1,256 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athlone 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 147% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.