Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cesis and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesis: $1,102 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cesis
🇱🇻 Latvia
$1,102
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,102 in Cesis versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Cesis $1,102
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,829 in Cesis versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Cesis $1,829
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,556 in Cesis versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Cesis $2,556
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Cesis costs roughly 9% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cesis 18% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cesis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.49 €14.67
$10.76 MX$199
53.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.9 €59.5
$43.03 MX$795
55.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.00 €8.01
$11.79 MX$218
-23.66%
Cappuccino
$3.68 €3.28
$3.87 MX$71.4
-4.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.62 €1.44
$1.37 MX$25.29
18.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 €1.05
$0.84 MX$15.44
40.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.63 €5.00
$3.10 MX$57.3
81.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.08 €4.52
$5.07 MX$93.6
0.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cesis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 €1.06
$1.44 MX$26.55
-17.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.48 €1.31
$2.23 MX$41.23
-33.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 €2.21
$1.47 MX$27.17
69.39%
Eggs
$2.73 €2.43
$2.53 MX$46.71
7.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.66 €9.48
$7.30 MX$135
46.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.42 €7.49
$7.86 MX$145
7.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 €11.98
$12.79 MX$236
5.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.06 €1.83
$2.90 MX$53.6
-28.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 €1.60
$1.44 MX$26.53
25.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.47 €2.20
$2.55 MX$47.07
-3.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.97 €2.65
$2.06 MX$38.03
44.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 €0.73
$2.00 MX$36.97
-59.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.90 €0.80
$2.01 MX$37.07
-55.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.73 €1.54
$1.19 MX$22.02
45.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 €0.82
$1.26 MX$23.23
-26.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.80 €6.05
$4.40 MX$81.4
54.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.92 €7.05
$9.59 MX$177
-17.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 €1.52
$1.59 MX$29.41
7.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 €1.80
$2.81 MX$51.9
-27.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Cesis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.57 MX$10.47
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.82 MX$514
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.28 €2.92
$4.98 MX$92.1
-34.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 €0.87
$3.50 MX$64.6
-72.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.96 €15.97
$5.40 MX$99.8
232.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 €1.81
$1.47 MX$27.08
38.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.3K €24.3K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
30.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K €27.0K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
26.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cesis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$368 €328
$84.2 MX$1,556
337.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.14 €17.02
$23.99 MX$443
-20.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.72 €17.54
$29.02 MX$536
-32.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cesis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$63.0 MX$1,164
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.34 €10.09
$4.94 MX$91.3
129.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cesis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$683 €608
$204 MX$3,763
235.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.2K €16.2K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
360.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cesis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.9 €60.4
$43.60 MX$806
55.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.0 €45.32
$43.12 MX$797
18.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.6 €75.2
$75.8 MX$1,400
11.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$136 €121
$88.6 MX$1,637
53.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cesis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,008 MX$18.6K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$374 MX$6,911
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,708 MX$31.6K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$283 €252
$1,106 MX$20.4K
-74.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cesis
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,095 €974
$754 MX$13.9K
45.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.77
11.45
-58.34%

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

Last update for Cesis: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cesis
$407
Playa del Carmen
$137 66.3% $270
Groceries & Markets
Cesis
$259
Playa del Carmen
$258 0% $0.1
Eating Out
Cesis
$253
Playa del Carmen
$202 19.9% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Cesis
$153
Playa del Carmen
$113 26% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Cesis
$23 *
Playa del Carmen
$73 221% $50
Getting Around
Cesis
$8.2 *
Playa del Carmen
$53 545% $44
Accommodation & Living
Cesis
- *
Playa del Carmen
$374

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

Cost Breakdown

Cesis pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Cesis vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇱🇻 Cesis
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
02:24 2:24 AM
18:24 6:24 PM
8 h behind Cesis
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
17,673
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cesis Playa del Carmen 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cesis
  • 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
Cesis vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Cesis?
Cesis is cheaper overall, especially in utilities, leisure, and transport. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cesis or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay runs 45% higher in Cesis, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $683 in Cesis versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Cesis or in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Cesis – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cesis or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,102 in Cesis versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cesis but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cesis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cesis or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
For families, Cesis is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cesis or Playa del Carmen?
Safety-wise, Cesis and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cesis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cesis vs other spots: cost of living compared

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