Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chios and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,453 in Chios, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Chios
Learn more

Chios Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chios

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,453

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,453 per month in Chios vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chios $1,453
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,179 per month in Chios vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chios $2,179
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,905 per month in Chios vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chios $2,905
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Chios costs about 21% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Chios sits 7% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.73 €12.23

$10.67 MX$198

28.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.37 €39.53

$43.80 MX$813

1.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.11 €12.57

$11.79 MX$219

19.68%

Cappuccino

$3.72 €3.31

$3.79 MX$70.3

-1.85%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.30 MX$24.07

81.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.83 MX$15.47

16.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.04

$3.15 MX$58.4

44.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.93 MX$91.6

-10.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.41 MX$26.14

14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.20 MX$40.75

-33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.47 MX$27.33

84.35%

Eggs

$4.52 €4.03

$2.50 MX$46.34

80.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 €11.97

$7.29 MX$135

84.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 €8.93

$7.95 MX$148

26.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 €13.34

$12.86 MX$239

16.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.90 MX$53.8

-23.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.38 MX$25.67

49.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.49 MX$46.23

-45.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.03 MX$37.67

4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.02 MX$37.58

-41.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.90 MX$35.32

-42.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.14 MX$21.24

-5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.24 MX$22.99

-35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.21 €4.64

$4.27 MX$79.3

22.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.28 €6.48

$9.81 MX$182

-25.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.59 MX$29.43

30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.75 MX$51.0

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.51 MX$9.56

174.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.56 €44.15

$27.39 MX$508

80.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 €3.78

$4.76 MX$88.4

-10.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.25 MX$60.3

-66.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.99 €15.13

$5.39 MX$100

215.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.53 MX$28.36

35.29%

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

$27.9K €24.9K

$21.2K MX$393.7K

31.54%

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

$25.8K €22.9K

$23.3K MX$431.7K

10.69%

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

$201 €179

$83.5 MX$1,549

140.77%

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

$22.65 €20.17

$23.19 MX$430

-2.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.64 €27.29

$27.61 MX$512

10.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €45.54

$56.4 MX$1,047

-9.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.74 €22.04

$28.19 MX$523

-12.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 €7.85

$5.00 MX$92.8

76.20%

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

$413 €368

$207 MX$3,843

99.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,939 €7,963

$5,231 MX$97.1K

70.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €80.3

$43.45 MX$806

107.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 €35.41

$42.54 MX$789

-6.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 €83.9

$72.8 MX$1,350

29.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$88.4 MX$1,640

40.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 €433

$995 MX$18.5K

-51.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 €341

$382 MX$7,097

0.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 €663

$1,674 MX$31.1K

-55.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 €549

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-42.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,496 €2,224

$3,909 MX$72.5K

-36.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 €1,728

$6,138 MX$113.9K

-68.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.45

-60.87%

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

Last update for Chios: November 2, 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

Chios

$382 26.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 0% $0

Groceries & Markets

Chios

$284 19.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 9.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chios

$254 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 47.2% $120

Eating Out

Chios

$242 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 17.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chios

$157 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 29.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chios

$69 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 3.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Chios

$65 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 22.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $487 in Chios versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Chios versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $284 in Chios vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Chios

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

23:05 11:05 PM

7 h behind Chios

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,408

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chios Playa del Carmen 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chios
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

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

Chios costs about 21% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,179 per month in Chios and $1,804 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 Chios, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $487 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,453 in Chios and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $413 per month in Chios and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,453 in Chios. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.