Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calella and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,596 in Calella, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Calella
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Calella Living Index
59

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

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Calella

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,596

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,596 per month in Calella vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Calella $1,596
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,366 per month in Calella vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Calella $2,366
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,137 per month in Calella vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Calella $3,137
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Calella costs about 33% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Calella sits 18% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.73 €13.13

$10.86 MX$203

35.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 €50.3

$44.21 MX$827

27.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 €7.15

$11.76 MX$220

-31.72%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.22

$3.68 MX$68.9

-32.34%

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

$2.33 €2.08

$1.34 MX$25.11

73.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.82 MX$15.44

118.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.08

$3.06 MX$57.3

13.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$4.94 MX$92.4

-33.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.47 MX$27.52

-24.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.22 MX$41.47

-5.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.48 MX$27.67

94.59%

Eggs

$3.03 €2.70

$2.49 MX$46.59

21.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.61 €13.03

$7.52 MX$141

94.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 €7.41

$7.96 MX$149

4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 €13.66

$12.57 MX$235

21.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.78 MX$52.0

-10.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.43 MX$26.71

37.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.62 MX$48.99

-39.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.14 MX$39.99

13.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.02 MX$37.86

-11.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.99 MX$37.21

-6.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.14 MX$21.28

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.55

$1.20 MX$22.46

-48.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 €6.21

$4.26 MX$79.7

63.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$10.02 MX$187

-44.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.54 MX$28.77

-30.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.66 MX$49.80

-8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.53 MX$9.85

175.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.71 €28.26

$27.51 MX$515

15.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 €3.36

$4.90 MX$91.8

-23.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$3.43 MX$64.3

-63.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.51 €12.93

$5.38 MX$101

169.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.45 MX$27.10

26.21%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$21.2K MX$396.0K

86.23%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$23.0K MX$430.8K

34.77%

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

$117 €104

$85.4 MX$1,598

36.97%

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

$13.52 €12.05

$23.46 MX$439

-42.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.05 €22.32

$28.43 MX$532

-11.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.23 €41.20

$62.2 MX$1,164

-25.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 €15.71

$28.68 MX$537

-38.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 €7.44

$5.10 MX$95.5

63.73%

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

$560 €499

$201 MX$3,763

178.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,945 €8,864

$3,947 MX$73.9K

151.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 €55.8

$44.39 MX$831

41.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.12 €18.82

$41.35 MX$774

-48.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €101

$72.7 MX$1,362

56.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €143

$89.6 MX$1,677

78.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$904 €805

$979 MX$18.3K

-7.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 €610

$373 MX$6,976

83.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,208

$1,681 MX$31.5K

-19.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 €901

$1,095 MX$20.5K

-7.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,081 €2,746

$3,949 MX$73.9K

-21.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,932 €1,722

$6,137 MX$114.9K

-68.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,725 €1,537

$738 MX$13.8K

133.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

11.45

-71.18%

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

Last update for Calella: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calella

$684 42.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 45.5% $311

Groceries & Markets

Calella

$273 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 5.3% $15

Eating Out

Calella

$212 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 5.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Calella

$161 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 30.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calella

$155 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 11.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Calella

$63 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 15.1% $9.5

Getting Around

Calella

$48 3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 8.7% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $904 in Calella versus $979 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 Calella are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Calella versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Calella

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

03:36 3:36 AM

6 h behind Calella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,862

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Calella Playa del Carmen 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Calella
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

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

Yes – Calella is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,394 per month in Calella and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $904 in Calella and $979 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $560 per month in Calella and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Calella at $1,596. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Calella it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,596 in Calella. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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