Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fuenlabrada and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,714 in Fuenlabrada, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Fuenlabrada
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,714
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,714 in Fuenlabrada versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Fuenlabrada $1,714
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,551 in Fuenlabrada versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Fuenlabrada $2,551
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,389 in Fuenlabrada versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Fuenlabrada $3,389
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Fuenlabrada is roughly 42% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fuenlabrada is 27% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fuenlabrada
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.51 €14.68
$10.76 MX$199
53.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.6 €61.0
$43.03 MX$795
59.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.30 €10.05
$11.79 MX$218
-4.16%
Cappuccino
$2.00 €1.78
$3.87 MX$71.4
-48.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 €2.94
$1.37 MX$25.29
140.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 €1.68
$0.84 MX$15.44
123.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.41 €3.03
$3.10 MX$57.3
10.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.66 €4.14
$5.07 MX$93.6
-8.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fuenlabrada
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €1.01
$1.44 MX$26.55
-20.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 €0.90
$2.23 MX$41.23
-54.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 €1.74
$1.47 MX$27.17
33.33%
Eggs
$3.97 €3.53
$2.53 MX$46.71
56.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.13 €16.13
$7.30 MX$135
148.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.40 €8.36
$7.86 MX$145
19.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.96 €18.64
$12.79 MX$236
63.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.81 €2.50
$2.90 MX$53.6
-3.10%
Banana (1kg)
$2.37 €2.11
$1.44 MX$26.53
64.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.51 €2.23
$2.55 MX$47.07
-1.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.76 €2.46
$2.06 MX$38.03
33.98%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$2.00 MX$36.97
7.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$2.01 MX$37.07
6.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 €1.34
$1.19 MX$22.02
26.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 €0.50
$1.26 MX$23.23
-55.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.00 €5.33
$4.40 MX$81.4
36.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.79 €6.93
$9.59 MX$177
-18.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 €0.98
$1.59 MX$29.41
-30.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.81 MX$51.9
-19.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Fuenlabrada
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.48 €1.32
$0.57 MX$10.47
159.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$32.41 €28.83
$27.82 MX$514
16.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.82 €3.40
$4.98 MX$92.1
-23.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.33
$3.50 MX$64.6
-57.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.06 €20.51
$5.40 MX$99.8
327.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.47 MX$27.08
23.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K €31.2K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
67.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.6K €26.3K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
23.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fuenlabrada
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$191 €170
$84.2 MX$1,556
126.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.04 €16.04
$23.99 MX$443
-24.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.47 €29.77
$29.02 MX$536
15.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fuenlabrada
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.07 €39.20
$63.0 MX$1,164
-30.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.42 €13.72
$29.14 MX$539
-47.08%
Cinema Ticket
$10.03 €8.92
$4.94 MX$91.3
103.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fuenlabrada
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$183 €163
$204 MX$3,763
-10.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,962 €5,303
$3,941 MX$72.8K
51.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fuenlabrada
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.1 €65.9
$43.60 MX$806
69.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.71 €32.65
$43.12 MX$797
-14.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.6 €70.0
$75.8 MX$1,400
3.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.9 €83.5
$88.6 MX$1,637
5.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fuenlabrada
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$881 €784
$1,008 MX$18.6K
-12.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$682 €607
$374 MX$6,911
82.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,340 €1,192
$1,708 MX$31.6K
-21.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,034 €919
$1,106 MX$20.4K
-6.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,268 €2,907
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-17.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,240 €1,992
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-63.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fuenlabrada
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,691 €1,504
$754 MX$13.9K
124.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.08
11.45
-73.10%

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

Last update for Fuenlabrada: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Fuenlabrada
$682
Playa del Carmen
$374 45.2% $308
Groceries & Markets
Fuenlabrada
$311
Playa del Carmen
$258 16.8% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fuenlabrada
$242
Playa del Carmen
$137 43.4% $105
Eating Out
Fuenlabrada
$237
Playa del Carmen
$202 14.7% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Fuenlabrada
$127
Playa del Carmen
$113 11.4% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Fuenlabrada
$64
Playa del Carmen
$73 13.6% $8.7
Getting Around
Fuenlabrada
$50
Playa del Carmen
$53 5.9% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $881 in Fuenlabrada and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fuenlabrada pays 124% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $69.0 in Fuenlabrada vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Fuenlabrada
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
08:29 8:29 AM
01:29 1:29 AM
7 h behind Fuenlabrada
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
188,736
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fuenlabrada Playa del Carmen 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fuenlabrada
  • 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
Fuenlabrada vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Fuenlabrada?
Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Fuenlabrada or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay runs 124% higher in Fuenlabrada, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Fuenlabrada and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $881 in Fuenlabrada versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Fuenlabrada or in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $69.0 in Fuenlabrada. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Fuenlabrada and in Playa del Carmen?
All in, you'll spend $1,714 per month in Fuenlabrada versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Fuenlabrada or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,714 in Fuenlabrada, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Fuenlabrada. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Fuenlabrada or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fuenlabrada, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Fuenlabrada or Playa del Carmen?
Safety-wise, Fuenlabrada and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Fuenlabrada. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Fuenlabrada vs other spots: cost of living compared

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