Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caldas da Rainha and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Caldas da Rainha outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
Learn more

Caldas da Rainha Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,532

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,532 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Caldas da Rainha $1,532
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $2,352 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Caldas da Rainha $2,352
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $3,172 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Caldas da Rainha $3,172
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Caldas da Rainha costs about 26% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Caldas da Rainha sits 14% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.73 €14.03

$10.97 MX$201

43.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 €45.38

$44.85 MX$823

13.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 €9.12

$11.92 MX$219

-14.26%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$3.80 MX$69.9

-46.05%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.31 MX$24.08

80.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.86 MX$15.72

65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 €2.48

$3.21 MX$59.0

-13.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.46

$5.01 MX$92.0

-22.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.46 MX$26.77

-26.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.33 MX$42.72

-38.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.44 MX$26.48

8.33%

Eggs

$3.01 €2.69

$2.46 MX$45.20

22.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 €9.26

$7.70 MX$141

34.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 €6.48

$7.89 MX$145

-7.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 €11.44

$12.80 MX$235

0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.92 MX$53.6

-35.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.42 MX$26.11

-6.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.57 MX$47.10

-34.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.14 MX$39.24

14.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.95 MX$35.75

-1.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.94 MX$35.55

-3.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.15 MX$21.13

12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.22 MX$22.42

-31.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.12

$4.38 MX$80.3

31.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.95 €3.53

$9.85 MX$181

-59.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.54 MX$28.23

6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.72 MX$49.86

-36.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 €3.27

$0.52 MX$9.64

605.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.14 €30.46

$27.42 MX$503

24.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.53

$4.91 MX$90.2

-42.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.54 MX$28.27

24.03%

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

$33.8K €30.2K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

59.12%

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

$37.7K €33.7K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

54.10%

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

$108 €96.0

$83.6 MX$1,535

28.64%

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

$18.14 €16.19

$24.03 MX$441

-24.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.70 €34.54

$29.33 MX$539

31.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.88 €43.62

$64.9 MX$1,191

-24.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.78 €24.79

$29.46 MX$541

-5.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.78 €7.84

$5.09 MX$93.4

72.50%

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

$399 €356

$208 MX$3,813

92.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,537 €4,941

$4,045 MX$74.3K

36.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.5

$44.55 MX$818

115.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.87 €38.26

$42.06 MX$772

1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$75.5 MX$1,387

48.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 €61.1

$91.4 MX$1,678

-25.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €795

$986 MX$18.1K

-9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 €599

$385 MX$7,072

74.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,251

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-18.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,001

$1,108 MX$20.4K

1.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,845 €2,539

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-29.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 €2,038

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-63.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,145 €1,022

$758 MX$13.9K

51.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.11

11.45

-72.84%

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

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Caldas da Rainha

$671 43.4%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 42.6% $286

Groceries & Markets

Caldas da Rainha

$230 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 13.3% $31

Eating Out

Caldas da Rainha

$218 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 6.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caldas da Rainha

$164 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 16.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Caldas da Rainha

$144 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 20.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Caldas da Rainha

$66 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 12.9% $8.6

Getting Around

Caldas da Rainha

$52 * 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 0.8% $0.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Caldas da Rainha versus $986 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 run about 51% higher in Caldas da Rainha, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $230 in Caldas da Rainha vs $260 in Playa del Carmen – so Caldas da Rainha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

01:48 1:48 AM

6 h behind Caldas da Rainha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,917

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Caldas da Rainha Playa del Carmen 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Caldas da Rainha
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

Caldas da Rainha vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caldas da Rainha is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,298 per month in Caldas da Rainha and $1,823 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha and $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Caldas da Rainha at $1,532. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caldas da Rainha 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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