Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Azores and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,611 in the Azores, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in the Azores
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Azores Living Index
58

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

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Azores

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,611

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,611 per month in the Azores vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Azores $1,611
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,369 per month in the Azores vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Azores $2,369
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,126 per month in the Azores vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Azores $3,126
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Azores costs about 34% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Azores sits 18% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.71 €10.52

$10.92 MX$204

7.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.92 €42.15

$43.37 MX$808

8.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.52 €8.55

$11.78 MX$220

-19.19%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.94

$3.81 MX$71.0

-43.31%

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

$1.93 €1.73

$1.28 MX$23.90

50.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.78 MX$14.59

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 €2.02

$3.17 MX$59.0

-29.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 €3.16

$4.93 MX$92.0

-28.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.41 MX$26.22

-25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.38

$2.22 MX$41.33

-31.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.42 MX$26.42

13.38%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.68

$2.52 MX$47.03

18.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.46 €10.29

$7.26 MX$135

57.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.67 €6.89

$7.70 MX$143

-0.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.24 €12.80

$12.69 MX$237

12.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.78 MX$51.9

-17.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.37 MX$25.50

2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.61

$2.55 MX$47.55

-29.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.28

$2.12 MX$39.58

19.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.94 MX$36.13

-22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.66

$1.89 MX$35.16

-2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.15 MX$21.37

34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.77

$1.18 MX$21.98

-27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.19 €5.56

$4.30 MX$80.1

43.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 €4.61

$9.95 MX$185

-48.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.58 MX$29.52

-17.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.67 MX$49.79

-13.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.05

$0.55 MX$10.31

316.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.46 €38.14

$26.62 MX$496

59.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.67

$4.97 MX$92.6

-17.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 €0.77

$3.33 MX$62.1

-74.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.57 €15.78

$5.36 MX$99.8

227.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.44 MX$26.92

38.19%

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

$34.4K €30.9K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

66.58%

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

$39.5K €35.5K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

68.53%

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

$135 €121

$84.8 MX$1,581

58.83%

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

$21.13 €18.98

$23.41 MX$436

-9.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.30 €37.10

$28.66 MX$534

44.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €40.10

$57.1 MX$1,063

-21.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.35 €15.58

$28.91 MX$539

-39.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.48 €7.62

$5.14 MX$95.8

64.98%

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

$471 €423

$207 MX$3,851

128.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,351 €7,502

$3,927 MX$73.2K

112.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 €66.3

$43.35 MX$808

70.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.73 €34.79

$41.44 MX$772

-6.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 €83.2

$74.2 MX$1,383

24.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.2 €82.8

$89.3 MX$1,664

3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 €848

$980 MX$18.3K

-3.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 €659

$381 MX$7,099

92.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 €1,309

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-14.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,050

$1,075 MX$20.0K

8.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,049 €2,739

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-22.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,337 €2,100

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-62.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

11.45

-56.24%

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

Last update for the Azores: October 27, 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

Azores

$734 45.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 48.1% $353

Groceries & Markets

Azores

$245 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 3.8% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Azores

$197 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.6% $60

Eating Out

Azores

$180 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 12.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Azores

$134 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Azores

$62 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 9.3% $5.7

Getting Around

Azores

$60 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 15.9% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $944 in the Azores 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in the Azores versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $245 in the Azores vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Azores wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Azores

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

15:38 3:38 PM

4 h behind the Azores

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,657

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Azores Playa del Carmen 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Azores
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

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

Yes – Azores is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,417 per month in the Azores and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $944 in the Azores and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in the Azores – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in the Azores and $43 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 $1,204, than in the Azores at $1,611. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in the Azores 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,611 in the Azores. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.