Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gharghur and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,973 in Gharghur, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Gharghur
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,973
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,973 per month in Gharghur vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Gharghur $1,973
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,991 per month in Gharghur vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Gharghur $2,991
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,009 per month in Gharghur vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Gharghur $4,009
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Gharghur costs about 63% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Gharghur sits 46% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gharghur
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.62 €12.12
$10.76 MX$199
26.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.9 €75.5
$43.03 MX$795
97.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.43 €11.95
$11.79 MX$218
13.91%
Cappuccino
$2.18 €1.94
$3.87 MX$71.4
-43.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 €2.13
$1.37 MX$25.29
75.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 €0.98
$0.84 MX$15.44
32.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.00 €4.45
$3.10 MX$57.3
61.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.01 €3.56
$5.07 MX$93.6
-20.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gharghur
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 €1.07
$1.44 MX$26.55
-16.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.26 €1.12
$2.23 MX$41.23
-43.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.43 €3.05
$1.47 MX$27.17
133.33%
Eggs
$4.44 €3.95
$2.53 MX$46.71
75.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.51 €9.35
$7.30 MX$135
43.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.85 €10.54
$7.86 MX$145
50.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.85 €15.88
$12.79 MX$236
39.56%
Apples (1kg)
$3.84 €3.41
$2.90 MX$53.6
32.41%
Banana (1kg)
$2.77 €2.47
$1.44 MX$26.53
92.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.86 €3.43
$2.55 MX$47.07
51.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.78 €3.37
$2.06 MX$38.03
83.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.00 MX$36.97
-7.00%
Onion (1kg)
$3.44 €3.06
$2.01 MX$37.07
71.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.28 €2.02
$1.19 MX$22.02
91.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.26 MX$23.23
22.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.34 €5.64
$4.40 MX$81.4
44.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.92 €5.26
$9.59 MX$177
-38.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.43 €2.16
$1.59 MX$29.41
52.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 €2.09
$2.81 MX$51.9
-16.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Gharghur
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.46 €2.19
$0.57 MX$10.47
331.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.82 MX$514
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.02 €3.57
$4.98 MX$92.1
-19.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.76 €1.56
$3.50 MX$64.6
-49.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.97 €28.44
$5.40 MX$99.8
492.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 €1.30
$1.47 MX$27.08
-0.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K €24.4K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
30.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.4K €34.2K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
60.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gharghur
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$157 €140
$84.2 MX$1,556
86.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.32 €27.86
$23.99 MX$443
30.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.53 €26.27
$29.02 MX$536
1.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gharghur
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.4 €60.8
$63.0 MX$1,164
8.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.29 €10.05
$4.94 MX$91.3
128.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gharghur
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$281 €250
$204 MX$3,763
38.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K €11.1K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
216.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gharghur
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.4 €51.0
$43.60 MX$806
31.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.3 €60.7
$43.12 MX$797
58.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 €97.8
$75.8 MX$1,400
45.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 €98.2
$88.6 MX$1,637
24.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gharghur
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,110 €987
$1,008 MX$18.6K
10.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$924 €822
$374 MX$6,911
147.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,793 €1,595
$1,708 MX$31.6K
4.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,515 €1,348
$1,106 MX$20.4K
36.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,939 €3,503
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-0.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,790 €2,482
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-54.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gharghur
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$754 MX$13.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.05
11.45
-64.63%

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

Last update for Gharghur: 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
Gharghur
$924
Playa del Carmen
$374 59.5% $550
Groceries & Markets
Gharghur
$339
Playa del Carmen
$258 23.8% $81
Eating Out
Gharghur
$222
Playa del Carmen
$202 9.1% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gharghur
$218
Playa del Carmen
$137 37% $81
Clothing & Footwear
Gharghur
$156
Playa del Carmen
$113 27.4% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Gharghur
$91
Playa del Carmen
$73 19.9% $18
Getting Around
Gharghur
$23 *
Playa del Carmen
$53 132% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,110 in Gharghur versus $1,008 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Gharghur versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Gharghur
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
19:27 7:27 PM
12:27 12:27 PM
7 h behind Gharghur
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gharghur Playa del Carmen 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gharghur
  • 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
Gharghur vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Gharghur or Playa del Carmen?
Gharghur costs about 63% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Gharghur and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,960 per month in Gharghur and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Gharghur or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Gharghur compared to Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,973 in Gharghur and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 63%.
How do childcare costs compare in Gharghur and in Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $281 per month in Gharghur and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Gharghur or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Gharghur at $1,973. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gharghur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Gharghur or Playa del Carmen?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,973 in Gharghur. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Gharghur compared to Playa del Carmen?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Gharghur or to Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gharghur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Gharghur vs other spots: cost of living compared

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