Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gibraltar and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,921 in Gibraltar, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Gibraltar
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Gibraltar Living Index
58

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

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Gibraltar

🇬🇮 Gibraltar

$2,921

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,921 in Gibraltar versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Gibraltar $2,921
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,544 in Gibraltar versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Gibraltar $4,544
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,167 in Gibraltar versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Gibraltar $6,167
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Gibraltar is roughly 143% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gibraltar is 115% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 GIP 15.22

$10.92 MX$204

85.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 GIP 73.9

$43.37 MX$808

126.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.87 GIP 13.44

$11.78 MX$220

51.70%

Cappuccino

$4.09 GIP 3.08

$3.81 MX$71.0

7.35%

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

$2.28 GIP 1.72

$1.28 MX$23.90

78.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 GIP 1.52

$0.78 MX$14.59

158.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 GIP 4.13

$3.17 MX$59.0

73.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 GIP 3.50

$4.93 MX$92.0

-5.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 GIP 1.42

$1.41 MX$26.22

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 GIP 1.94

$2.22 MX$41.33

15.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 GIP 2.53

$1.42 MX$26.42

137.32%

Eggs

$6.22 GIP 4.68

$2.52 MX$47.03

146.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.36 GIP 9.30

$7.26 MX$135

70.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 GIP 6.38

$7.70 MX$143

10.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.66 GIP 13.28

$12.69 MX$237

39.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 GIP 2.22

$2.78 MX$51.9

6.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.97 GIP 2.23

$1.37 MX$25.50

116.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 GIP 2.83

$2.55 MX$47.55

47.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 GIP 2.49

$2.12 MX$39.58

56.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 GIP 2.07

$1.94 MX$36.13

41.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 GIP 1.57

$1.89 MX$35.16

10.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 GIP 1.39

$1.15 MX$21.37

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 GIP 1.08

$1.18 MX$21.98

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.17 GIP 3.89

$4.30 MX$80.1

20.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.35 GIP 8.54

$9.95 MX$185

14.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 GIP 2.03

$1.58 MX$29.52

70.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 GIP 2.34

$2.67 MX$49.79

16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 GIP 2.46

$0.55 MX$10.31

496.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$13.54 GIP 10.18

$4.97 MX$92.6

172.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.12 GIP 9.87

$5.36 MX$99.8

144.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 GIP 1.12

$1.44 MX$26.92

3.47%

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

$50.2K GIP 37.8K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

142.93%

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

$30.5K GIP 22.9K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

29.85%

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

$170 GIP 128

$84.8 MX$1,581

100.60%

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

$26.30 GIP 19.79

$23.41 MX$436

12.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 GIP 50.3

$28.66 MX$534

133.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.4 GIP 60.5

$57.1 MX$1,063

40.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.52 GIP 16.94

$28.91 MX$539

-22.10%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 GIP 10.18

$5.14 MX$95.8

163.42%

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

$1,108 GIP 833

$207 MX$3,851

436.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K GIP 15.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

434.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 GIP 105

$43.35 MX$808

220.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.9 GIP 50.4

$41.44 MX$772

61.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 GIP 92.6

$74.2 MX$1,383

65.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 GIP 108

$89.3 MX$1,664

61.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,178 GIP 1,638

$980 MX$18.3K

122.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 GIP 1,229

$381 MX$7,099

328.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,817 GIP 2,871

$1,708 MX$31.8K

123.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,140 GIP 2,362

$1,075 MX$20.0K

192.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K GIP 10.1K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

240.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,079 GIP 6,077

$6,158 MX$114.8K

31.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,448 GIP 1,841

$735 MX$13.7K

233.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.13

11.45

-46.46%

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

Last update for Gibraltar: October 25, 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

Gibraltar

$1.6K 55.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 76.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Gibraltar

$359 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29% $104

Eating Out

Gibraltar

$318 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 36.5% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gibraltar

$263 9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Gibraltar

$213 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 47.5% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Gibraltar

$107 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 37.3% $40

Getting Around

Gibraltar

$27 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 89.4% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,178 in Gibraltar and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gibraltar pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Gibraltar vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇮 Gibraltar

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

16:09 4:09 PM

6 h behind Gibraltar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,577 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Gibraltar Pound GIP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GIP = 1.33 USD

1 GIP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GIP – Gibraltar Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇮 Gibraltar Pound (£)

Gibraltar Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GIP (1 GIP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.837 GIP (1 GIP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to GIP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gibraltar Playa del Carmen 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Gibraltar
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,921 in Gibraltar and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Gibraltar is about 3.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,178 in Gibraltar versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Gibraltar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,921 per month in Gibraltar versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,921 in Gibraltar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gibraltar. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Gibraltar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.