Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benalmadena and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,849 in Benalmadena, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
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Benalmadena Living Index
58

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

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Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,849

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,849 per month in Benalmadena vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Benalmadena $1,849
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,778 per month in Benalmadena vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Benalmadena $2,778
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,707 per month in Benalmadena vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Benalmadena $3,707
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Benalmadena costs about 54% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Benalmadena sits 36% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.63 €13.10

$10.92 MX$205

33.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.6

$43.37 MX$814

56.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 €8.39

$11.78 MX$221

-20.46%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.95

$3.81 MX$71.5

-43.04%

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

$2.13 €1.90

$1.28 MX$24.07

66.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$0.78 MX$14.70

170.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.91

$3.17 MX$59.5

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 €3.94

$4.93 MX$92.7

-10.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.41 MX$26.40

-12.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.49

$2.22 MX$41.62

-25.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.42 MX$26.61

28.17%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.97

$2.52 MX$47.36

31.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.32 €13.72

$7.26 MX$136

111.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.17 €7.32

$7.70 MX$144

6.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 €14.48

$12.69 MX$238

27.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$2.78 MX$52.3

-7.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.37 MX$25.68

37.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.55 MX$47.89

-29.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.12 MX$39.86

15.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.94 MX$36.39

-4.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.89 MX$35.41

8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.15 MX$21.53

25.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$1.18 MX$22.13

-37.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 €5.75

$4.30 MX$80.6

49.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.11

$9.95 MX$187

-31.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.58 MX$29.73

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.67 MX$50.1

-25.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.55 MX$10.39

267.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.41 €27.23

$26.62 MX$500

14.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.97 MX$93.3

-61.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 €1.09

$3.33 MX$62.5

-63.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.35 €20.01

$5.36 MX$101

316.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.44 MX$27.11

27.08%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

65.44%

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

$30.9K €27.7K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

31.75%

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

$140 €125

$84.8 MX$1,592

65.14%

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

$12.85 €11.51

$23.41 MX$439

-45.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.12 €28.77

$28.66 MX$538

12.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 €43.83

$57.1 MX$1,071

-14.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.68 €14.04

$28.91 MX$543

-45.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 €7.16

$5.14 MX$96.5

55.45%

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

$566 €507

$207 MX$3,878

173.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,540 €8,544

$3,927 MX$73.7K

142.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €80.0

$43.35 MX$814

106.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.33 €35.22

$41.44 MX$778

-5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.9

$74.2 MX$1,393

29.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$89.3 MX$1,676

27.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 €847

$980 MX$18.4K

-3.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$910 €815

$381 MX$7,150

139.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,680 €1,504

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-1.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 €1,347

$1,075 MX$20.2K

39.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,126 €3,695

$3,943 MX$74.0K

4.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,499 €3,134

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-43.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,882 €3,477

$735 MX$13.8K

428.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

11.45

-71.18%

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

Last update for Benalmadena: 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

Benalmadena

$910 49.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 58.2% $530

Groceries & Markets

Benalmadena

$276 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 7.8% $21

Eating Out

Benalmadena

$213 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 5.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benalmadena

$185 10%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 26% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Benalmadena

$152 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Benalmadena

$65 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.7% $2.4

Getting Around

Benalmadena

$46 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 8.6% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Benalmadena 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.

Salaries in Benalmadena are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Benalmadena versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

14:21 2:21 PM

6 h behind Benalmadena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,801

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Benalmadena Playa del Carmen 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Benalmadena
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

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

Yes – Benalmadena is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,773 per month in Benalmadena 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 $945 in Benalmadena and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Benalmadena, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Benalmadena 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 Benalmadena at $1,849. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Benalmadena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,849 in Benalmadena. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Benalmadena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.