Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,351 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
Learn more

Cascais Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,351

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,351 in Cascais versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cascais $2,351
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,777 in Cascais versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cascais $3,777
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,204 in Cascais versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cascais $5,204
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cascais is roughly 95% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cascais is 73% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.86 €14.21

$10.92 MX$203

45.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.62 €39.99

$43.37 MX$808

2.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.49 €8.50

$11.78 MX$219

-19.44%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.41

$3.81 MX$71.0

-29.40%

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

$2.16 €1.94

$1.28 MX$23.89

68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.98

$0.78 MX$14.58

183.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.96

$3.17 MX$59.0

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.92

$4.93 MX$91.9

11.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.41 MX$26.20

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.22 MX$41.30

3.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.42 MX$26.40

15.49%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.97

$2.52 MX$47.00

31.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.79 €9.67

$7.26 MX$135

48.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.02 €6.29

$7.70 MX$143

-8.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 €13.52

$12.69 MX$236

18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$2.78 MX$51.9

2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.37 MX$25.49

10.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.55 MX$47.52

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.12 MX$39.55

6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.94 MX$36.11

-19.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.89 MX$35.13

21.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.15 MX$21.36

48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.18 MX$21.96

-10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.70 €5.11

$4.30 MX$80.0

32.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 €6.93

$9.95 MX$185

-22.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.58 MX$29.50

-19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$2.67 MX$49.76

65.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.96

$0.55 MX$10.31

298.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 €40.34

$26.62 MX$496

69.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.98

$4.97 MX$92.6

-55.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.44 MX$26.90

43.06%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

65.45%

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

$38.0K €34.0K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

61.91%

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

$134 €120

$84.8 MX$1,580

57.49%

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

$24.90 €22.31

$23.41 MX$436

6.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €50.2

$28.66 MX$534

95.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.84 €38.39

$57.1 MX$1,063

-24.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.36 €10.18

$28.91 MX$539

-60.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 €6.38

$5.14 MX$95.7

38.52%

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

$839 €752

$207 MX$3,848

306.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

373.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 €69.4

$43.35 MX$808

78.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.50 €33.60

$41.44 MX$772

-9.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.9

$74.2 MX$1,382

41.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$89.3 MX$1,663

52.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 €1,666

$980 MX$18.2K

89.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 €1,217

$381 MX$7,095

256.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,213 €3,776

$1,708 MX$31.8K

146.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,032 €2,717

$1,075 MX$20.0K

182.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,644 €6,850

$3,943 MX$73.5K

93.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,596

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-16.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,246 €2,013

$735 MX$13.7K

205.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

11.45

-67.95%

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

Last update for Cascais: 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

Cascais

$1.4K 57.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 72% $977

Groceries & Markets

Cascais

$273 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 6.6% $18

Eating Out

Cascais

$233 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 13% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cascais

$214 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 36.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Cascais

$160 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 30.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cascais

$57 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 17.9% $10

Getting Around

Cascais

$56 * 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 9.9% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,859 in Cascais and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Cascais vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Cascais

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

03:20 3:20 AM

5 h behind Cascais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,158

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cascais Playa del Carmen 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cascais
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cascais is about 3.1 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: $1,859 in Cascais versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Cascais. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $45 in Cascais. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,351 in Cascais, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cascais. 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 49% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.