Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballerup and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,202 in Ballerup, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ballerup, Denmark
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ballerup
🇩🇰 Denmark
$2,202
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Ballerup versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Ballerup $2,202
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,495 in Ballerup versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Ballerup $3,495
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,788 in Ballerup versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Ballerup $4,788
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Ballerup is roughly 83% 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: Ballerup is 62% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ballerup
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.20 DKK 149
$10.92 MX$204
103.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$120 DKK 804
$43.37 MX$808
175.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.84 DKK 99.6
$11.78 MX$220
25.98%
Cappuccino
$7.18 DKK 48.21
$3.81 MX$71.0
88.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 DKK 28.05
$1.28 MX$23.90
226.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.42 DKK 22.99
$0.78 MX$14.59
338.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.19 DKK 61.7
$3.17 MX$59.0
189.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.49 DKK 50.3
$4.93 MX$92.0
51.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ballerup
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 DKK 13.83
$1.41 MX$26.22
46.10%
White Bread (500g)
$3.80 DKK 25.50
$2.22 MX$41.33
71.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 DKK 15.33
$1.42 MX$26.42
60.56%
Eggs
$4.86 DKK 32.66
$2.52 MX$47.03
92.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.42 DKK 104
$7.26 MX$135
112.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.32 DKK 76.0
$7.70 MX$143
47.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.11 DKK 122
$12.69 MX$237
42.71%
Apples (1kg)
$3.19 DKK 21.43
$2.78 MX$51.9
14.75%
Banana (1kg)
$3.01 DKK 20.22
$1.37 MX$25.50
119.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.82 DKK 25.62
$2.55 MX$47.55
49.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.14 DKK 34.50
$2.12 MX$39.58
142.45%
Potato (1kg)
$2.31 DKK 15.50
$1.94 MX$36.13
19.07%
Onion (1kg)
$2.09 DKK 14.02
$1.89 MX$35.16
10.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 DKK 14.24
$1.15 MX$21.37
84.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 DKK 8.78
$1.18 MX$21.98
11.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.66 DKK 64.9
$4.30 MX$80.1
124.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.08 DKK 67.7
$9.95 MX$185
1.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 DKK 12.40
$1.58 MX$29.52
17.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 DKK 16.52
$2.67 MX$49.79
-7.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Ballerup
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.56 DKK 23.89
$0.55 MX$10.31
547.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$86.2 DKK 579
$26.62 MX$496
223.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.91 DKK 39.68
$4.97 MX$92.6
18.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 DKK 10.88
$3.33 MX$62.1
-51.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$63.0 DKK 423
$5.36 MX$99.8
1075.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.58 DKK 17.35
$1.44 MX$26.92
79.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$51.4K DKK 345.1K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
148.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$52.8K DKK 354.3K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
124.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ballerup
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 DKK 1,229
$84.8 MX$1,581
115.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.39 DKK 76.5
$23.41 MX$436
-51.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.57 DKK 252
$28.66 MX$534
31.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ballerup
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.79 DKK 281
$57.1 MX$1,063
-26.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.41 DKK 164
$28.91 MX$539
-15.57%
Cinema Ticket
$19.58 DKK 132
$5.14 MX$95.8
280.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ballerup
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$741 DKK 4,977
$207 MX$3,851
258.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,934 DKK 39.8K
$3,927 MX$73.2K
51.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ballerup
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 DKK 728
$43.35 MX$808
150.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.28 DKK 311
$41.44 MX$772
11.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 DKK 853
$74.2 MX$1,383
71.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$187 DKK 1,258
$89.3 MX$1,664
109.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ballerup
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$914 DKK 6,138
$980 MX$18.3K
-6.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$775 DKK 5,201
$381 MX$7,099
103.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,650 DKK 11.1K
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-3.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,346 DKK 9,039
$1,075 MX$20.0K
25.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,984 DKK 33.5K
$3,943 MX$73.5K
26.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,793 DKK 25.5K
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-38.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ballerup
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,906 DKK 39.7K
$735 MX$13.7K
704.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.67
11.45
-67.95%

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

Last update for Ballerup: 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
Ballerup
$775
Playa del Carmen
$381 50.8% $394
Eating Out
Ballerup
$400
Playa del Carmen
$202 49.4% $197
Groceries & Markets
Ballerup
$389
Playa del Carmen
$255 34.5% $134
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ballerup
$232
Playa del Carmen
$137 41% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Ballerup
$211
Playa del Carmen
$112 47.1% $99
Getting Around
Ballerup
$114
Playa del Carmen
$50 55.9% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Ballerup
$81
Playa del Carmen
$67 16.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Ballerup and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballerup pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $120 in Ballerup vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇩🇰 Ballerup
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
21:48 9:48 PM
15:48 3:48 PM
6 h behind Ballerup
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
39,087
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to DKK – Danish Krone Converter

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 DKK (1 DKK = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ballerup Playa del Carmen 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ballerup
  • 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
Ballerup vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Ballerup?
Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Ballerup or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay in Ballerup is about 8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Ballerup and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $914 in Ballerup versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $741 in Ballerup versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Ballerup and in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Ballerup. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ballerup or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,202 in Ballerup, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ballerup. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Ballerup or in Playa del Carmen?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Ballerup on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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