Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cortona and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,433 in Cortona, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Cortona
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Cortona Living Index
58

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

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Cortona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,433

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,433 per month in Cortona vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cortona $1,433
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,197 per month in Cortona vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cortona $2,197
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,961 per month in Cortona vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cortona $2,961
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Cortona costs about 19% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cortona sits 5% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €14.98

$10.92 MX$205

53.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.3

$43.37 MX$813

55.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$11.78 MX$221

-3.57%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.89

$3.81 MX$71.4

-44.36%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$1.28 MX$24.03

121.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.78 MX$14.67

89.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.88

$3.17 MX$59.3

72.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.05

$4.93 MX$92.5

37.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.41 MX$26.35

22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.22 MX$41.54

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 €2.65

$1.42 MX$26.56

109.15%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.23

$2.52 MX$47.27

88.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 €13.21

$7.26 MX$136

103.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 €10.84

$7.70 MX$144

57.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.44 €17.34

$12.69 MX$238

53.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.78 MX$52.2

-8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.37 MX$25.64

67.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.55 MX$47.80

-7.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.12 MX$39.78

12.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.94 MX$36.32

-27.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.89 MX$35.34

-14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.15 MX$21.49

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.50

$1.18 MX$22.09

-53.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.19

$4.30 MX$80.5

61.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €5.08

$9.95 MX$186

-42.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.58 MX$29.67

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.67 MX$50.1

-5.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 €5.90

$4.97 MX$93.1

33.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$3.33 MX$62.4

-51.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.47 €29.86

$5.36 MX$100

524.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.44 MX$27.06

50.00%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

71.31%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

54.51%

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

$202 €181

$84.8 MX$1,589

138.79%

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

$11.25 €10.03

$23.41 MX$439

-51.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.35 €28.86

$28.66 MX$537

12.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.04 €25.02

$57.1 MX$1,069

-50.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.04 €9.85

$28.91 MX$542

-61.81%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 €10.04

$5.14 MX$96.3

118.87%

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

$478 €426

$207 MX$3,871

131.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €14.9K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

325.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 €64.2

$43.35 MX$812

66.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.82 €32.85

$41.44 MX$777

-11.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 €76.5

$74.2 MX$1,390

15.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$89.3 MX$1,672

41.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$864 €771

$980 MX$18.4K

-11.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 €357

$381 MX$7,136

5.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 €1,332

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-12.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 €554

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-42.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,315 €2,065

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-41.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,804 €2,502

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-54.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,067 €2,737

$735 MX$13.8K

317.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

11.45

-69.26%

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

Last update for Cortona: October 26, 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

Cortona

$400 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 4.8% $19

Groceries & Markets

Cortona

$326 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 21.7% $71

Eating Out

Cortona

$252 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 19.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cortona

$246 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 44.4% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Cortona

$144 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cortona

$51 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 33.2% $17

Getting Around

Cortona

$15 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 242% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $864 in Cortona versus $980 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 Cortona are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Cortona versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cortona

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

18:18 6:18 PM

6 h behind Cortona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,450

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

Cortona Playa del Carmen 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cortona
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,433 in Cortona, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,150 per month in Cortona and $1,806 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 Cortona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $864 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,433 in Cortona and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $478 per month in Cortona 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,433 in Cortona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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