Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethune and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,759 in Bethune, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Bethune
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Bethune Living Index
58

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

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Bethune

🇫🇷 France

$1,759

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Bethune versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Bethune $1,759
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,745 in Bethune versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Bethune $2,745
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,732 in Bethune versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Bethune $3,732
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Bethune is roughly 46% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bethune is 29% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 €15.91

$10.92 MX$205

62.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.4 €64.1

$43.37 MX$813

64.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.46 €12.08

$11.78 MX$221

14.26%

Cappuccino

$3.15 €2.83

$3.81 MX$71.4

-17.32%

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

$2.71 €2.43

$1.28 MX$24.04

111.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$0.78 MX$14.68

110.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 €6.17

$3.17 MX$59.4

117.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €4.99

$4.93 MX$92.5

12.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.41 MX$26.37

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.22 MX$41.57

-15.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 €2.61

$1.42 MX$26.57

104.93%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.82

$2.52 MX$47.30

69.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.31 €19.12

$7.26 MX$136

193.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €11.30

$7.70 MX$144

63.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.13 €20.76

$12.69 MX$238

82.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.78 MX$52.2

3.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.37 MX$25.65

56.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$2.55 MX$47.83

-7.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 €2.72

$2.12 MX$39.81

42.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.94 MX$36.34

-4.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.83

$1.89 MX$35.36

7.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.15 MX$21.50

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.18 MX$22.11

-50.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.77 €12.35

$4.30 MX$80.5

220.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 €7.15

$9.95 MX$187

-19.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.58 MX$29.69

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.27

$2.67 MX$50.1

-5.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.59

$0.55 MX$10.37

221.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.0 €44.88

$26.62 MX$499

87.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.99

$4.97 MX$93.2

-55.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 €1.94

$3.33 MX$62.5

-35.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.84 €21.39

$5.36 MX$100

344.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.44 MX$27.07

36.81%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$20.7K MX$387.5K

70.61%

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

$37.8K €33.9K

$23.5K MX$440.0K

61.12%

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

$179 €161

$84.8 MX$1,590

111.43%

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

$15.11 €13.56

$23.41 MX$439

-35.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.20 €27.10

$28.66 MX$537

5.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.27 €31.65

$57.1 MX$1,070

-38.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.96 €15.22

$28.91 MX$542

-41.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 €9.08

$5.14 MX$96.4

96.89%

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

$621 €557

$207 MX$3,873

200.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,147 €7,311

$3,927 MX$73.6K

107.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.7

$43.35 MX$813

102.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.83 €33.94

$41.44 MX$777

-8.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 €69.8

$74.2 MX$1,391

4.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 €87.4

$89.3 MX$1,673

9.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 €688

$980 MX$18.4K

-21.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 €565

$381 MX$7,140

65.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 €1,322

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-13.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 €1,022

$1,075 MX$20.2K

5.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,586 €4,115

$3,943 MX$73.9K

16.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,479 €3,122

$6,158 MX$115.5K

-43.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,709 €3,329

$735 MX$13.8K

405.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

11.45

-65.76%

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

Last update for Bethune: October 24, 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

Bethune

$629 35.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 39.5% $248

Groceries & Markets

Bethune

$361 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.5% $106

Eating Out

Bethune

$283 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 28.5% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethune

$225 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 39.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Bethune

$135 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.4% $24

Getting Around

Bethune

$70 4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 28.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bethune

$56 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 21.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $767 in Bethune and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bethune pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Bethune vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bethune

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

12:19 12:19 PM

6 h behind Bethune

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,992

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bethune Playa del Carmen 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethune
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Bethune. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Bethune is about 5.1 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: $767 in Bethune versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $621 in Bethune versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Bethune. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,759 in Bethune, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bethune. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Bethune on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.