Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birgu and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,731 in Birgu, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index
58

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

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Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,731 in Birgu versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Birgu $1,731
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,812 in Birgu versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Birgu $2,812
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,894 in Birgu versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Birgu $3,894
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Birgu is roughly 44% 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: Birgu is 27% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 €17.28

$10.92 MX$205

76.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 €78.4

$43.37 MX$814

101.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 €10.55

$11.78 MX$221

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.44

$3.81 MX$71.5

-28.61%

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

$2.18 €1.95

$1.28 MX$24.07

70.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.78 MX$14.70

117.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 €4.16

$3.17 MX$59.5

46.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 €4.51

$4.93 MX$92.7

2.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.41 MX$26.40

-4.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.22 MX$41.62

-41.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.80

$1.42 MX$26.61

198.59%

Eggs

$4.08 €3.65

$2.52 MX$47.36

61.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 €7.50

$7.26 MX$136

15.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 €7.38

$7.70 MX$144

7.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 €13.80

$12.69 MX$238

21.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.56

$2.78 MX$52.3

2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.37 MX$25.68

-8.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.55 MX$47.89

8.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.12 MX$39.86

32.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.94 MX$36.39

14.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.89 MX$35.41

-12.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.15 MX$21.53

98.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.18 MX$22.13

-22.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.72 €6.02

$4.30 MX$80.6

56.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.10 €7.25

$9.95 MX$187

-18.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.58 MX$29.73

-4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.67 MX$50.1

-10.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$0.55 MX$10.39

314.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.94 €12.48

$26.62 MX$500

-47.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €5.14

$4.97 MX$93.3

15.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$3.33 MX$62.5

-65.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.73 €23.94

$5.36 MX$101

398.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.44 MX$27.11

2.78%

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

$26.3K €23.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

27.37%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

41.99%

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

$101 €90.5

$84.8 MX$1,592

19.14%

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

$25.15 €22.52

$23.41 MX$439

7.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.31 €29.83

$28.66 MX$538

16.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.02 €39.43

$57.1 MX$1,071

-22.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.8 €59.8

$28.91 MX$543

131.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 €8.84

$5.14 MX$96.5

92.22%

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

$372 €333

$207 MX$3,878

80.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,987 €1,780

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-49.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.02 €22.41

$43.35 MX$814

-42.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.21 €29.74

$41.44 MX$778

-19.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 €89.2

$74.2 MX$1,393

34.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.6

$89.3 MX$1,676

23.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 €897

$980 MX$18.4K

2.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €720

$381 MX$7,150

110.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,637 €3,257

$1,708 MX$32.1K

112.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 €1,377

$1,075 MX$20.2K

42.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,543

$3,943 MX$74.0K

0.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,883 €2,582

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-53.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,887 €1,690

$735 MX$13.8K

156.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

11.45

-74.67%

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

Last update for Birgu: 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

Birgu

$803 46.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 52.6% $423

Groceries & Markets

Birgu

$278 16%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 8.2% $23

Eating Out

Birgu

$271 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 25.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birgu

$159 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 14.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Birgu

$121 7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.3% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Birgu

$64 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.6% $3.5

Getting Around

Birgu

$34 2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 46.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,001 in Birgu and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Birgu vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Birgu

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

6 h behind Birgu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

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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Between locations

Birgu Playa del Carmen 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Birgu
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Birgu. 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 Birgu is about 2.6 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: $1,001 in Birgu versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Birgu runs roughly 48% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $372 in Birgu versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,731 in Birgu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Birgu. 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, Birgu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.