Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelos and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Barcelos and in Playa del Carmen: $1,190 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index
59

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

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Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Barcelos $1,190
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Barcelos versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Barcelos $1,885
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,579 in Barcelos versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Barcelos $2,579
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Barcelos costs roughly 2% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Barcelos 12% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.09 €9.86

$10.76 MX$199

3.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.16 €42.84

$43.03 MX$795

11.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 €7.87

$11.79 MX$218

-24.94%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.63

$3.87 MX$71.4

-52.45%

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

$1.93 €1.72

$1.37 MX$25.29

40.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$0.84 MX$15.44

57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.10 MX$57.3

8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.52

$5.07 MX$93.6

-43.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.44 MX$26.55

-22.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.23 MX$41.23

-17.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.47 MX$27.17

21.77%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.94

$2.53 MX$46.71

30.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$7.30 MX$135

63.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$7.86 MX$145

2.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 €13.19

$12.79 MX$236

15.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.90 MX$53.6

-31.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.44 MX$26.53

-4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.55 MX$47.07

-27.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$2.06 MX$38.03

22.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.00 MX$36.97

-14.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.63

$2.01 MX$37.07

-8.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.19 MX$22.02

29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.26 MX$23.23

-23.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.84

$4.40 MX$81.4

49.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 €4.08

$9.59 MX$177

-52.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.05

$1.59 MX$29.41

-25.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.81 MX$51.9

-21.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

$0.57 MX$10.47

301.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.15 €19.70

$27.82 MX$514

-20.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.80

$4.98 MX$92.1

-14.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$3.50 MX$64.6

-59.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.25 €14.46

$5.40 MX$99.8

200.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.47 MX$27.08

46.26%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

58.16%

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

$37.8K €33.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

58.27%

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

$111 €98.8

$84.2 MX$1,556

31.87%

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

$17.73 €15.77

$23.99 MX$443

-26.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.28 €39.39

$29.02 MX$536

52.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.52 €34.27

$63.0 MX$1,164

-38.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 €5.84

$29.14 MX$539

-77.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.12 €8.11

$4.94 MX$91.3

84.62%

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

$339 €302

$204 MX$3,763

66.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,374 €5,670

$3,941 MX$72.8K

61.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$43.60 MX$806

66.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.75 €33.58

$43.12 MX$797

-12.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 €70.0

$75.8 MX$1,400

3.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.4

$88.6 MX$1,637

18.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €439

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-51.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 €318

$374 MX$6,911

-4.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-47.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 €619

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-37.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,651 €2,358

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-32.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,510 €1,343

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-75.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 €954

$754 MX$13.9K

42.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

11.45

-67.69%

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

Last update for Barcelos: October 10, 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

Barcelos

$357 30%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 4.7% $17

Groceries & Markets

Barcelos

$255 21.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 1.5% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelos

$173 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 20.7% $36

Eating Out

Barcelos

$173 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 17% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelos

$132 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 14.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelos

$57 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 28.4% $16

Getting Around

Barcelos

$43 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 23.1% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Barcelos and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelos pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Barcelos vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $258, with Barcelos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

20:03 8:03 PM

6 h behind Barcelos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,766

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Barcelos Playa del Carmen 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Barcelos
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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

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

Barcelos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Barcelos, 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: $494 in Barcelos versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelos – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barcelos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelos 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 Barcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.