Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drachten and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,491 in Drachten, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Drachten
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Drachten Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Drachten

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,491

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,491 in Drachten versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Drachten $2,491
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,653 in Drachten versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Drachten $3,653
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,816 in Drachten versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Drachten $4,816
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Drachten is roughly 107% 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: Drachten is 83% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.29 €21.82

$10.92 MX$204

122.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 €75.9

$43.37 MX$808

94.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.12

$11.78 MX$220

14.52%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.61

$3.81 MX$71.0

5.51%

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

$3.76 €3.38

$1.28 MX$23.90

193.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.78 MX$14.59

302.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.99

$3.17 MX$59.0

75.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.13

$4.93 MX$92.0

15.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.41 MX$26.22

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$2.22 MX$41.33

-39.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.42 MX$26.42

8.45%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.52

$2.52 MX$47.03

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 €11.32

$7.26 MX$135

73.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.58 €12.20

$7.70 MX$143

76.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 €10.90

$12.69 MX$237

-4.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.78 MX$51.9

-32.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.37 MX$25.50

75.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.55 MX$47.55

-26.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.75

$2.12 MX$39.58

44.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.94 MX$36.13

-14.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.89 MX$35.16

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.12

$1.15 MX$21.37

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.18 MX$21.98

-41.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.17 €8.24

$4.30 MX$80.1

113.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 €5.99

$9.95 MX$185

-33.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.58 MX$29.52

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.37

$2.67 MX$49.79

-1.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.66 €3.29

$0.55 MX$10.31

565.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 €80.5

$26.62 MX$496

236.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 €3.74

$4.97 MX$92.6

-16.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 €2.89

$3.33 MX$62.1

-3.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.57 €44.53

$5.36 MX$99.8

824.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.44 MX$26.92

56.25%

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

$41.0K €36.8K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

98.48%

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

$37.5K €33.7K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

59.76%

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

$277 €249

$84.8 MX$1,581

226.32%

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

$23.94 €21.50

$23.41 MX$436

2.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 €44.74

$28.66 MX$534

73.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.38 €37.17

$57.1 MX$1,063

-27.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.42 €23.73

$28.91 MX$539

-8.61%

Cinema Ticket

$16.14 €14.50

$5.14 MX$95.8

214.01%

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

$2,362 €2,122

$207 MX$3,851

1043.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,090 €7,267

$3,927 MX$73.2K

105.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 €53.1

$43.35 MX$808

36.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.01 €39.53

$41.44 MX$772

6.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 €80.2

$74.2 MX$1,383

20.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$89.3 MX$1,664

50.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 €1,290

$980 MX$18.3K

46.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,040

$381 MX$7,099

204.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,345 €2,107

$1,708 MX$31.8K

37.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 €1,680

$1,075 MX$20.0K

74.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,630 €5,058

$3,943 MX$73.5K

42.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,529 €4,068

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-26.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,606 €2,341

$735 MX$13.7K

254.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

11.45

-62.45%

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

Last update for Drachten: 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

Drachten

$1.2K 46.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 67.1% $777

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drachten

$350 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.9% $214

Eating Out

Drachten

$350 14%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 42.2% $147

Groceries & Markets

Drachten

$288 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 11.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Drachten

$147 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24% $35

Getting Around

Drachten

$124 5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Drachten

$74 3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.6% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,436 in Drachten and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drachten pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Drachten vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Drachten

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

21:14 9:14 PM

6 h behind Drachten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,186

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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

From you

Drachten
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Drachten is about 3.5 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: $1,436 in Drachten versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,362 in Drachten versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Drachten. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,491 in Drachten, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Drachten. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Drachten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.