Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Faro and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,918 in Faro, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Faro
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Faro Living Index
58

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

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Faro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,918

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,918 per month in Faro vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Faro $1,918
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,985 per month in Faro vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Faro $2,985
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,052 per month in Faro vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Faro $4,052
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Faro costs about 59% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Faro sits 41% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.23 €11.85

$10.92 MX$205

21.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.54 €39.91

$43.37 MX$815

2.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.91

$11.78 MX$221

-6.11%

Cappuccino

$1.90 €1.71

$3.81 MX$71.6

-50.13%

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

$2.34 €2.10

$1.28 MX$24.10

82.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.78 MX$14.71

111.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 €2.45

$3.17 MX$59.5

-13.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.27

$4.93 MX$92.7

-48.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.41 MX$26.43

-25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.22 MX$41.66

-34.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.42 MX$26.64

21.83%

Eggs

$3.54 €3.17

$2.52 MX$47.41

40.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 €12.15

$7.26 MX$137

86.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.08 €5.45

$7.70 MX$145

-21.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 €10.30

$12.69 MX$239

-9.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.78 MX$52.3

-7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.37 MX$25.71

-8.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$2.55 MX$47.94

-38.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.12 MX$39.90

18.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.84

$1.94 MX$36.43

63.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.89 MX$35.44

10.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 €1.26

$1.15 MX$21.55

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €1.00

$1.18 MX$22.16

-5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.69

$4.30 MX$80.7

47.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.05 €4.53

$9.95 MX$187

-49.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.58 MX$29.76

-39.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.04

$2.67 MX$50.2

26.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 €2.87

$0.55 MX$10.40

481.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.94 €33.10

$26.62 MX$500

38.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 €3.23

$4.97 MX$93.4

-27.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$3.33 MX$62.6

-65.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.12 €18.93

$5.36 MX$101

294.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.44 MX$27.14

47.22%

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

$33.8K €30.3K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

63.50%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

60.33%

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

$109 €97.9

$84.8 MX$1,594

28.85%

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

$19.54 €17.51

$23.41 MX$440

-16.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.75 €31.14

$28.66 MX$539

21.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.89 €35.75

$57.1 MX$1,072

-30.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.90 €18.73

$28.91 MX$543

-27.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 €10.15

$5.14 MX$96.6

120.43%

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

$465 €417

$207 MX$3,882

125.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,804

$3,927 MX$73.8K

178.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €64.4

$43.35 MX$815

65.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.31 €38.81

$41.44 MX$779

4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.4

$74.2 MX$1,394

43.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.1

$89.3 MX$1,677

12.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,166

$980 MX$18.4K

32.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 €937

$381 MX$7,157

174.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,306 €2,066

$1,708 MX$32.1K

35.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 €1,865

$1,075 MX$20.2K

93.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,162 €4,626

$3,943 MX$74.1K

30.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,630 €3,253

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-41.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,330 €1,192

$735 MX$13.8K

81.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

11.45

-68.82%

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

Last update for Faro: 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

Faro

$1K 54.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 63.6% $665

Groceries & Markets

Faro

$245 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 3.9% $9.5

Eating Out

Faro

$197 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 3% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Faro

$164 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 16.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Faro

$145 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Faro

$63 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7.6% $4.8

Getting Around

Faro

$59 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 14.6% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,301 in Faro 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 run about 81% higher in Faro. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Faro versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $245 in Faro vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Faro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Faro

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

09:29 9:29 AM

5 h behind Faro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,650

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Faro Playa del Carmen 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Faro
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

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

Yes – Faro is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,877 per month in Faro 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 $1,301 in Faro.

Kindergarten costs $465 per month in Faro and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Faro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Faro at $1,918. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Faro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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