Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,198 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
58

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

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,198

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,198 per month in Best vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Best $2,198
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,057 per month in Best vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Best $3,057
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,915 per month in Best vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Best $3,915
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Best costs about 83% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Best sits 62% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.20 €19.92

$10.92 MX$205

103.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 €77.1

$43.37 MX$813

97.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.12

$11.78 MX$221

5.18%

Cappuccino

$3.50 €3.14

$3.81 MX$71.4

-8.14%

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

$3.22 €2.89

$1.28 MX$24.04

151.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.31

$0.78 MX$14.68

229.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.10

$3.17 MX$59.4

79.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.33

$4.93 MX$92.5

-2.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.41 MX$26.37

-20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.72

$2.22 MX$41.57

-13.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.42 MX$26.57

50.70%

Eggs

$3.18 €2.85

$2.52 MX$47.30

26.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 €9.95

$7.26 MX$136

52.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 €10.00

$7.70 MX$144

44.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 €13.37

$12.69 MX$238

17.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 €1.76

$2.78 MX$52.2

-29.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.37 MX$25.65

15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.55 MX$47.83

-32.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 €4.60

$2.12 MX$39.81

141.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.94 MX$36.34

-40.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.89 MX$35.36

-38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.15 MX$21.50

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$1.18 MX$22.11

-33.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 €10.10

$4.30 MX$80.5

161.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$9.95 MX$187

-42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.58 MX$29.69

-9.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$2.67 MX$50.1

-1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.23

$0.55 MX$10.37

352.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.7 €65.2

$26.62 MX$499

172.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 €3.47

$4.97 MX$93.2

-22.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.55

$3.33 MX$62.5

-14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.53 €26.49

$5.36 MX$100

450.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.16

$1.44 MX$27.07

67.36%

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

$26.5K €23.8K

$20.7K MX$387.5K

28.13%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$23.5K MX$440.0K

65.03%

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

$184 €165

$84.8 MX$1,590

116.48%

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

$14.85 €13.33

$23.41 MX$439

-36.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.38 €34.44

$28.66 MX$537

33.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.88 €36.68

$57.1 MX$1,070

-28.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.29 €22.70

$28.91 MX$542

-12.52%

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 €12.16

$5.14 MX$96.4

163.62%

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

$1,260 €1,131

$207 MX$3,873

510.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,129 €4,602

$3,927 MX$73.6K

30.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 €45.87

$43.35 MX$813

17.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 €29.75

$41.44 MX$777

-19.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 €65.0

$74.2 MX$1,391

-2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 €51.8

$89.3 MX$1,673

-35.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,376

$980 MX$18.4K

56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €985

$381 MX$7,140

188.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,785

$1,708 MX$32.0K

16.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 €1,209

$1,075 MX$20.2K

25.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,622 €5,045

$3,943 MX$73.9K

42.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,407 €3,954

$6,158 MX$115.5K

-28.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,005 €3,593

$735 MX$13.8K

445.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

11.45

-69.08%

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

Last update for Best: 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

Best

$1.1K 50%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 65.3% $717

Eating Out

Best

$318 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 36.4% $116

Groceries & Markets

Best

$280 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 9.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 42.2% $100

Getting Around

Best

$101 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 49.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$97 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,534 in Best 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 Best are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Best versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

15:46 3:46 PM

6 h behind Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Best Playa del Carmen 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

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

Yes – Best is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,298 per month in Best and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,534 in Best.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,198 in Best and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 45% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 63% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Best at $2,198. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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