Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,084 in Diest versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,105 in Diest versus $2,184 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,126 in Diest versus $3,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Diest is roughly 62% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Diest is 56% above, Playa del Carmen is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.50 €20.07

$11.94 MX$208

96.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.3 €78.9

$42.75 MX$744

116.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.35

$10.59 MX$184

14.45%

Cappuccino

$3.63 €3.10

$3.62 MX$63.0

0.28%

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

$3.42 €2.92

$1.47 MX$25.54

132.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.58

$0.94 MX$16.41

221.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 €4.62

$3.09 MX$53.8

74.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 €4.06

$4.46 MX$77.6

6.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.11

$1.43 MX$24.80

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 €2.35

$1.88 MX$32.79

46.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 €2.15

$1.63 MX$28.34

54.60%

Eggs

$4.05 €3.46

$2.64 MX$45.99

53.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.31 €14.78

$8.21 MX$143

110.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.71 €10.00

$8.29 MX$144

41.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.71 €18.54

$11.10 MX$193

95.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.32

$2.65 MX$46.14

2.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.02

$1.50 MX$26.11

58.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €1.95

$1.99 MX$34.59

14.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.50

$2.08 MX$36.13

40.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.89

$1.79 MX$31.11

23.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.78

$2.18 MX$37.87

-4.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.21

$1.08 MX$18.73

30.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.77

$1.04 MX$18.04

-13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.60 €10.76

$3.97 MX$69.1

217.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 €6.94

$10.20 MX$178

-20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.44

$1.73 MX$30.04

-2.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.65

$2.50 MX$43.46

-22.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 €2.44

$0.52 MX$9.02

450.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.3 €48.93

$26.97 MX$469

112.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 €4.85

$3.14 MX$54.7

80.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 €2.16

$2.40 MX$41.80

5.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.73 €32.22

$3.09 MX$53.7

1121.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.59

$1.27 MX$22.16

46.46%

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

$33.2K €28.4K

$30.9K MX$537.3K

7.58%

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

$31.5K €26.9K

$23.3K MX$405.7K

35.06%

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

$209 €178

$82.0 MX$1,427

154.79%

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

$25.37 €21.67

$22.45 MX$391

13.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €44.41

$29.66 MX$516

75.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.66 €33.01

$51.9 MX$903

-25.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.91 €14.44

$18.67 MX$325

-9.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.00 €12.81

$4.97 MX$86.5

201.81%

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

$608 €519

$198 MX$3,442

207.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €11.6K

$5,273 MX$91.7K

157.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €91.1

$36.34 MX$632

193.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.29 €41.24

$40.05 MX$697

20.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €93.0

$79.9 MX$1,390

36.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 €135

$88.9 MX$1,547

78.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$902 €771

$963 MX$16.8K

-6.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 €632

$465 MX$8,086

59.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 €1,138

$1,596 MX$27.8K

-16.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 €950

$1,209 MX$21.0K

-8.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,591 €3,067

$3,942 MX$68.6K

-8.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,465 €2,105

$6,448 MX$112.2K

-61.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,239 €1,912

$720 MX$12.5K

210.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

11.42

-70.05%

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

Last update for Diest: April 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $902 in Diest and $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Diest pays 211% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $92.0 in Diest vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $251 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Diest. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Diest pays 211% more on average, 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: $902 in Diest versus $963 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 112% less than in Diest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $608 in Diest versus $198 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,084 in Diest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Diest. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,287 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Diest 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Diest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.