Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
58

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

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Bilbao versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Bilbao $2,166
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Bilbao versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Bilbao $3,118
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,069 in Bilbao versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Bilbao $4,069
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Bilbao is roughly 80% 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: Bilbao is 59% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 €20.27

$10.92 MX$205

107.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.4

$43.37 MX$814

68.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 €11.17

$11.78 MX$221

5.86%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.39

$3.81 MX$71.5

-29.92%

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

$3.12 €2.79

$1.28 MX$24.07

143.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.78 MX$14.70

144.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.96

$3.17 MX$59.5

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$4.93 MX$92.7

-33.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.41 MX$26.40

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.22 MX$41.62

-25.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.42 MX$26.61

8.45%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.97

$2.52 MX$47.36

31.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.93

$7.26 MX$136

114.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.14

$7.70 MX$144

3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 €13.04

$12.69 MX$238

14.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.78 MX$52.3

-0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.37 MX$25.68

52.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.55 MX$47.89

-0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$2.12 MX$39.86

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.94 MX$36.39

-15.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.18

$1.89 MX$35.41

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.15 MX$21.53

11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.18 MX$22.13

-21.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.89

$4.30 MX$80.6

52.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.80

$9.95 MX$187

-23.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.58 MX$29.73

-4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.67 MX$50.1

-3.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.75

$0.55 MX$10.39

254.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.41

$26.62 MX$500

90.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 €4.81

$4.97 MX$93.3

8.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$3.33 MX$62.5

-69.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.94

$5.36 MX$101

502.99%

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)

$33.3K €29.8K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

61.08%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

37.51%

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

$145 €130

$84.8 MX$1,592

70.89%

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

$19.91 €17.83

$23.41 MX$439

-14.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.47 €26.40

$28.66 MX$538

2.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.51

$57.1 MX$1,071

-10.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.62

$28.91 MX$543

-47.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.11

$5.14 MX$96.5

98.05%

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

$534 €478

$207 MX$3,878

158.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

198.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.7

$43.35 MX$814

141.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 €32.74

$41.44 MX$778

-11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 €68.1

$74.2 MX$1,393

2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$89.3 MX$1,676

60.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,224

$980 MX$18.4K

39.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €979

$381 MX$7,150

186.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,798

$1,708 MX$32.1K

17.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,397

$1,075 MX$20.2K

45.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,880 €5,266

$3,943 MX$74.0K

49.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,320

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-39.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 €2,101

$735 MX$13.8K

219.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

11.45

-73.97%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 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

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 65.2% $712

Eating Out

Bilbao

$294 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 31.1% $91

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$283 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 9.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$194 9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 29.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$162 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.4% $3.9

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 26.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in Bilbao and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Bilbao vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

23:26 11:26 PM

6 h behind Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bilbao Playa del Carmen 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Bilbao and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bilbao is about 3.2 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: $1,366 in Bilbao versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bilbao 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 11% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,166 in Bilbao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.