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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Essen is 29.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 65.4% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Essen is 78% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 36.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Essen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.31 โ‚ฌ15.81
$11.99 MX$227
52.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.7 โ‚ฌ61.1
$42.47 MX$803
66.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.96 โ‚ฌ12.05
$10.47 MX$198
33.33%
Cappuccino
$3.66 โ‚ฌ3.16
$3.6 MX$68.2
1.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.5 โ‚ฌ2.16
$1.44 MX$27.16
73.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 โ‚ฌ2.12
$0.89 MX$16.79
176.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.78 โ‚ฌ4.13
$3.09 MX$58.5
54.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 โ‚ฌ3.94
$4.58 MX$86.6
-0.44%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Essen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.35 โ‚ฌ1.17
$1.38 MX$26.04
-2.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.14 โ‚ฌ1.85
$1.85 MX$34.9
15.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.29 โ‚ฌ2.84
$1.57 MX$29.68
109.55%
Eggs
$3.71 โ‚ฌ3.2
$2.55 MX$48.3
45.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.91 โ‚ฌ12.88
$8.61 MX$163
73.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.62 โ‚ฌ12.63
$8.54 MX$161
71.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.88 โ‚ฌ18.89
$10.98 MX$208
99.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.27 โ‚ฌ2.82
$2.72 MX$51.4
20.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 โ‚ฌ1.58
$1.51 MX$28.57
21.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 โ‚ฌ1.95
$1.88 MX$35.63
20.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.89 โ‚ฌ4.22
$2.19 MX$41.42
123.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.69 โ‚ฌ1.46
$1.87 MX$35.3
-9.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.63 โ‚ฌ1.41
$2.19 MX$41.37
-25.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.88 โ‚ฌ1.63
$1.07 MX$20.23
75.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 โ‚ฌ0.96
$1.09 MX$20.64
2.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.25 โ‚ฌ7.98
$3.96 MX$74.9
133.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.84 โ‚ฌ5.91
$8.86 MX$167
-22.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 โ‚ฌ0.94
$1.72 MX$32.53
-36.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 โ‚ฌ1.49
$2.61 MX$49.37
-33.72%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Essen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.9 โ‚ฌ3.36
$0.52 MX$9.74
650.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$62.2 โ‚ฌ53.7
$26.59 MX$503
134.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.1 โ‚ฌ4.41
$3.24 MX$61.2
57.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.74 โ‚ฌ2.36
$2.38 MX$44.94
15.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.55 โ‚ฌ35.87
$3.11 MX$58.7
1236.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 โ‚ฌ1.8
$1.31 MX$24.85
59.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.1K โ‚ฌ27.7K
$30.3K MX$573K
5.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K โ‚ฌ33.1K
$24K MX$453.6K
59.66%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Essen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$386 โ‚ฌ333
$84.2 MX$1,592
358.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.88 โ‚ฌ30.12
$22.14 MX$419
57.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.4 โ‚ฌ46.12
$30.14 MX$570
77.24%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Essen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.14 โ‚ฌ32.07
$52 MX$983
-28.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.34 โ‚ฌ30.51
$18.72 MX$354
88.78%
Cinema Ticket
$17.26 โ‚ฌ14.9
$5.07 MX$95.9
240.43%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Essen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$469 โ‚ฌ405
$200 MX$3,787
133.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,651 โ‚ฌ8,333
$5,333 MX$100.8K
80.98%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Essen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.3 โ‚ฌ82.3
$35.74 MX$676
166.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$74.3 โ‚ฌ64.2
$39.8 MX$753
86.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 โ‚ฌ90.5
$79 MX$1,493
32.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 โ‚ฌ120
$88.4 MX$1,671
57.51%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Essen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$748 โ‚ฌ645
$965 MX$18.3K
-22.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$582 โ‚ฌ503
$474 MX$8,968
22.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,534 โ‚ฌ1,325
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-7.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,058 โ‚ฌ914
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-11.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,419 โ‚ฌ3,816
$3,081 MX$58.3K
43.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,340 โ‚ฌ2,884
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-55.64%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Essen
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,402 โ‚ฌ2,937
$792 MX$15K
329.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.97
11.42
-65.24%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Essen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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