Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,088 in Diest, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index
57

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

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Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,088

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,088 in Diest versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Diest $2,088
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,070 in Diest versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Diest $3,070
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,052 in Diest versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Diest $4,052
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Diest is roughly 74% 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: Diest is 54% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.93 €19.53

$10.67 MX$198

105.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 €75.7

$43.80 MX$813

94.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.59

$11.79 MX$219

0.85%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.15

$3.79 MX$70.3

-6.60%

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

$2.94 €2.62

$1.30 MX$24.07

126.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$0.83 MX$15.47

237.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 €4.79

$3.15 MX$58.4

70.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$4.93 MX$91.6

-11.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.41 MX$26.14

-10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.20 MX$40.75

24.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.47 MX$27.33

53.06%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.50

$2.50 MX$46.34

57.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.54

$7.29 MX$135

108.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 €10.57

$7.95 MX$148

49.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.91 €16.84

$12.86 MX$239

47.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.90 MX$53.8

-4.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.38 MX$25.67

63.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.49 MX$46.23

4.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.03 MX$37.67

44.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.02 MX$37.58

7.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.90 MX$35.32

-9.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.14 MX$21.24

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.24 MX$22.99

-17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.13 €11.69

$4.27 MX$79.3

207.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 €7.52

$9.81 MX$182

-13.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.59 MX$29.43

22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.75 MX$51.0

-25.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 €2.74

$0.51 MX$9.56

501.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.47

$27.39 MX$508

98.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.07

$4.76 MX$88.4

19.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 €2.20

$3.25 MX$60.3

-24.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.18 €26.89

$5.39 MX$100

459.93%

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)

$36.0K €32.1K

$21.2K MX$393.7K

69.93%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$23.3K MX$431.7K

55.00%

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

$209 €186

$83.5 MX$1,549

149.79%

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

$20.59 €18.34

$23.19 MX$430

-11.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €45.77

$27.61 MX$512

86.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 €32.60

$56.4 MX$1,047

-35.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 €17.76

$28.19 MX$523

-29.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.29 €12.73

$5.00 MX$92.8

185.80%

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

$781 €696

$207 MX$3,843

277.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K €17.2K

$5,231 MX$97.1K

268.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$43.45 MX$806

137.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.33 €43.05

$42.54 MX$789

13.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$72.8 MX$1,350

46.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$88.4 MX$1,640

66.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 €836

$995 MX$18.5K

-5.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €735

$382 MX$7,097

115.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,217

$1,674 MX$31.1K

-18.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,040

$1,081 MX$20.1K

8.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,180 €3,723

$3,909 MX$72.5K

6.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,949 €2,627

$6,138 MX$113.9K

-51.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,138 €1,905

$832 MX$15.4K

156.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

11.45

-69.17%

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

Last update for Diest: 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

Diest

$825 39.5%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 53.7% $443

Groceries & Markets

Diest

$338 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 23.8% $80

Eating Out

Diest

$312 15%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 35.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diest

$281 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 52.1% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Diest

$182 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 39% $71

Getting Around

Diest

$85 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 40.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Diest

$65 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 1.9% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Diest and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Diest pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Diest vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Diest

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

6 h behind Diest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,516

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

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Highest

Between locations

Diest Playa del Carmen 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Diest
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 42% 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.

Average pay in Diest is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $938 in Diest versus $995 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 50% less than in Diest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $781 in Diest versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,088 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 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Diest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.