Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balbriggan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,676 in Balbriggan, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Balbriggan
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Balbriggan Living Index
58

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

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Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,676

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,676 in Balbriggan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Balbriggan $2,676
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,956 in Balbriggan versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Balbriggan $3,956
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,236 in Balbriggan versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Balbriggan $5,236
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Balbriggan is roughly 122% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balbriggan is 97% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.24

$10.92 MX$205

107.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 €88.1

$43.37 MX$813

127.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.07

$11.78 MX$221

14.86%

Cappuccino

$5.01 €4.47

$3.81 MX$71.4

31.50%

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

$2.97 €2.65

$1.28 MX$24.03

132.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.78 MX$14.67

188.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.78

$3.17 MX$59.3

139.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 €7.09

$4.93 MX$92.5

61.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.41 MX$26.35

19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.22 MX$41.54

2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.42 MX$26.56

45.07%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.82

$2.52 MX$47.27

25.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 €8.97

$7.26 MX$136

38.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 €11.50

$7.70 MX$144

67.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 €14.48

$12.69 MX$238

27.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.78 MX$52.2

-0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.37 MX$25.64

66.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$2.55 MX$47.80

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 €4.54

$2.12 MX$39.78

140.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.94 MX$36.32

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.89 MX$35.34

-18.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.15 MX$21.49

19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.18 MX$22.09

77.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.36 €19.06

$4.30 MX$80.5

396.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.37 €11.93

$9.95 MX$186

34.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.58 MX$29.67

77.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.67 MX$50.1

-7.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.55 MX$10.37

349.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €119

$26.62 MX$499

400.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 €4.49

$4.97 MX$93.1

1.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.38

$3.33 MX$62.4

-53.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.74 €33.67

$5.36 MX$100

604.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.44 MX$27.06

44.44%

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

$39.4K €35.2K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

90.71%

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

$38.1K €34.0K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

62.22%

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

$171 €152

$84.8 MX$1,589

101.39%

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

$16.82 €15.00

$23.41 MX$439

-28.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.91 €40.07

$28.66 MX$537

56.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.51

$57.1 MX$1,069

-6.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 €11.84

$5.14 MX$96.3

158.17%

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

$1,259 €1,124

$207 MX$3,871

509.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,150 €4,594

$3,927 MX$73.6K

31.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.7

$43.35 MX$812

152.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.97 €24.95

$41.44 MX$777

-32.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 €54.8

$74.2 MX$1,390

-17.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$89.3 MX$1,672

47.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 €1,386

$980 MX$18.4K

58.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 €1,204

$381 MX$7,136

254.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 €2,260

$1,708 MX$32.0K

48.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 €1,927

$1,075 MX$20.1K

100.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 €3,223

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-41.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,292 €2,045

$735 MX$13.8K

212.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

11.45

-66.72%

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

Last update for Balbriggan: October 26, 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

Balbriggan

$1.3K 50.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 71.8% $968

Eating Out

Balbriggan

$357 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 43.3% $155

Groceries & Markets

Balbriggan

$353 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balbriggan

$232 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 41.1% $96

Getting Around

Balbriggan

$156 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 67.6% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Balbriggan

$149 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Balbriggan

$80 3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 15.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,553 in Balbriggan and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balbriggan pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Balbriggan vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Balbriggan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

5 h behind Balbriggan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,322

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.34 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Balbriggan Playa del Carmen 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Balbriggan
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,676 in Balbriggan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Balbriggan is about 3.1 times higher, 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: $1,553 in Balbriggan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Balbriggan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $99 in Balbriggan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,676 in Balbriggan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Balbriggan. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Balbriggan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.