Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiclana de la Frontera and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,565 in Chiclana de la Frontera, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiclana de la Frontera outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Chiclana de la Frontera
Learn more

Chiclana de la Frontera Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiclana de la Frontera

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,565

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,565 in Chiclana de la Frontera versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Chiclana de la Frontera $1,565
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,270 in Chiclana de la Frontera versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Chiclana de la Frontera $2,270
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,976 in Chiclana de la Frontera versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Chiclana de la Frontera $2,976
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Chiclana de la Frontera is roughly 30% 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: Chiclana de la Frontera is 16% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.56 €13.82

$10.67 MX$199

45.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.96 €44.38

$43.80 MX$815

14.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 €10.85

$11.79 MX$219

3.56%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$3.79 MX$70.5

-30.34%

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

$2.31 €2.05

$1.30 MX$24.14

77.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.83 MX$15.51

98.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 €2.74

$3.15 MX$58.6

-2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.05

$4.93 MX$91.8

-30.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.41 MX$26.22

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.21

$2.20 MX$40.86

-37.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.47 MX$27.40

19.05%

Eggs

$2.29 €2.03

$2.50 MX$46.47

-8.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 €10.02

$7.29 MX$136

54.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.10

$7.95 MX$148

0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 €13.42

$12.86 MX$239

17.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.90 MX$53.9

-24.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.38 MX$25.74

35.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.49 MX$46.36

-41.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.03 MX$37.78

-2.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.02 MX$37.69

-20.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.90 MX$35.42

-4.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.14 MX$21.30

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$1.24 MX$23.06

-45.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €5.05

$4.27 MX$79.5

33.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 €5.90

$9.81 MX$183

-32.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.59 MX$29.51

-37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.09

$2.75 MX$51.1

-14.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.51 MX$9.58

215.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.30 €26.91

$27.39 MX$510

10.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 €1.65

$4.76 MX$88.6

-60.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 €1.09

$3.25 MX$60.5

-62.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.25 €19.76

$5.39 MX$100

312.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.53 MX$28.44

14.38%

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

$34.5K €30.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

62.71%

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

$31.6K €28.1K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

36.03%

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

$163 €145

$83.5 MX$1,554

95.59%

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

$10.50 €9.33

$23.19 MX$431

-54.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.27 €21.56

$27.61 MX$514

-12.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.01 €39.99

$56.4 MX$1,050

-20.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.53 €13.79

$28.19 MX$525

-44.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.12 €5.44

$5.00 MX$93.1

22.40%

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

$335 €298

$207 MX$3,854

61.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,969 €8,855

$5,231 MX$97.4K

90.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.5

$43.45 MX$809

103.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 €34.19

$42.54 MX$792

-9.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 €49.70

$72.8 MX$1,354

-23.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.76 €39.76

$88.4 MX$1,645

-49.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 €816

$995 MX$18.5K

-7.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$690 €613

$382 MX$7,116

80.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 €1,189

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-20.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 €916

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-4.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 €3,013

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-13.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,263 €2,010

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-63.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Chiclana de la Frontera: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiclana de la Frontera

$690 44.1%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 44.6% $308

Groceries & Markets

Chiclana de la Frontera

$241 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 6.8% $16

Eating Out

Chiclana de la Frontera

$231 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 13.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiclana de la Frontera

$198 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 32.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Chiclana de la Frontera

$102 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 8.6% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiclana de la Frontera

$57 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 16% $9.2

Getting Around

Chiclana de la Frontera

$45 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 12.8% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $918 in Chiclana de la Frontera and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50 in Chiclana de la Frontera vs $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $241 vs $257, with Chiclana de la Frontera cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Chiclana de la Frontera

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

16:42 4:42 PM

6 h behind Chiclana de la Frontera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,709

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiclana de la Frontera Playa del Carmen 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiclana de la Frontera
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

Chiclana de la Frontera vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Chiclana de la Frontera. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,347 in Chiclana de la Frontera and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $918 in Chiclana de la Frontera versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $335 in Chiclana de la Frontera versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Chiclana de la Frontera pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,565 in Chiclana de la Frontera, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Chiclana de la Frontera. 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.