Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,629 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $29,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
58

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

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,629

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,629 per month in Dublin vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dublin $3,629
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $5,130 per month in Dublin vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dublin $5,130
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $6,631 per month in Dublin vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dublin $6,631
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Dublin costs about 201% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dublin sits 167% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.23 €20.81

$10.92 MX$205

112.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.3

$43.37 MX$814

135.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.89

$11.78 MX$221

12.73%

Cappuccino

$4.91 €4.39

$3.81 MX$71.5

28.87%

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

$2.98 €2.67

$1.28 MX$24.07

132.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.78 MX$14.70

179.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 €7.10

$3.17 MX$59.5

149.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 €6.95

$4.93 MX$92.7

57.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.41 MX$26.40

15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.22 MX$41.62

9.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.42 MX$26.61

45.07%

Eggs

$4.92 €4.41

$2.52 MX$47.36

95.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 €8.83

$7.26 MX$136

35.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.50 €11.20

$7.70 MX$144

62.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 €14.54

$12.69 MX$238

27.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.78 MX$52.3

1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.37 MX$25.68

62.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.55 MX$47.89

10.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 €4.61

$2.12 MX$39.86

142.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.94 MX$36.39

-4.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.89 MX$35.41

-22.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.15 MX$21.53

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.18 MX$22.13

78.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.86 €18.68

$4.30 MX$80.6

385.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.24 €11.86

$9.95 MX$187

33.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.07

$1.58 MX$29.73

117.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.14

$2.67 MX$50.1

31.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.05

$0.55 MX$10.39

316.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 €95.0

$26.62 MX$500

298.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 €4.72

$4.97 MX$93.3

6.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$3.33 MX$62.5

-55.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.05 €34.08

$5.36 MX$101

609.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.44 MX$27.11

45.83%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

85.99%

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

$37.8K €33.8K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

60.91%

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

$269 €241

$84.8 MX$1,592

216.77%

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

$18.56 €16.62

$23.41 MX$439

-20.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 €47.58

$28.66 MX$538

85.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 €57.1

$57.1 MX$1,071

11.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.81 €18.64

$28.91 MX$543

-28.02%

Cinema Ticket

$15.64 €14.00

$5.14 MX$96.5

204.28%

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

$1,269 €1,136

$207 MX$3,878

514.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K €12.9K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

267.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €94.4

$43.35 MX$814

143.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €45.73

$41.44 MX$778

23.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$74.2 MX$1,393

53.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$89.3 MX$1,676

46.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,475 €2,216

$980 MX$18.4K

152.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 €1,936

$381 MX$7,150

467.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,319 €3,869

$1,708 MX$32.1K

152.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,331 €2,983

$1,075 MX$20.2K

209.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,467 €7,583

$3,943 MX$74.0K

114.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 €5,302

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-3.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,706 €3,319

$735 MX$13.8K

404.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

11.45

-66.72%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 24, 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

Dublin

$2.2K 59.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 82.4% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$363 10%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.9% $108

Eating Out

Dublin

$360 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 43.8% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$340 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.8% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$181 5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 38.1% $69

Getting Around

Dublin

$128 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 60.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$95 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 29.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,475 in Dublin 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 Dublin are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Dublin versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

5 h behind Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Dublin Playa del Carmen 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dublin
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,629 in Dublin, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 67% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,444 per month in Dublin 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $2,475 in Dublin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Dublin and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,629 in Dublin and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 67% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Dublin at $3,629. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $3,629 in Dublin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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