Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gijon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,731 in Gijon, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Gijon
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Gijon Living Index
59

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

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Gijon

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,731

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,731 in Gijon versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Gijon $1,731
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,543 in Gijon versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Gijon $2,543
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,355 in Gijon versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Gijon $3,355
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Gijon is roughly 43% 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: Gijon is 28% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.82

$10.76 MX$199

54.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.5

$43.03 MX$795

55.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.58 €13.86

$11.79 MX$218

32.15%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$3.87 MX$71.4

-34.11%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$1.37 MX$25.29

113.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.84 MX$15.44

179.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 €3.46

$3.10 MX$57.3

25.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 €5.22

$5.07 MX$93.6

15.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.44 MX$26.55

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.23 MX$41.23

-17.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.47 MX$27.17

-6.80%

Eggs

$4.40 €3.91

$2.53 MX$46.71

73.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 €10.88

$7.30 MX$135

67.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 €6.89

$7.86 MX$145

-1.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 €12.19

$12.79 MX$236

7.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.90 MX$53.6

14.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.44 MX$26.53

1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$2.55 MX$47.07

-34.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.85

$2.06 MX$38.03

55.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.00 MX$36.97

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.01 MX$37.07

9.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.19 MX$22.02

7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.26 MX$23.23

-30.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.90

$4.40 MX$81.4

50.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.23 €9.10

$9.59 MX$177

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.59 MX$29.41

-16.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.81 MX$51.9

-39.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.57 MX$10.47

149.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.40 €29.71

$27.82 MX$514

20.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 €4.85

$4.98 MX$92.1

9.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.17

$3.50 MX$64.6

-62.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.03 €25.83

$5.40 MX$99.8

437.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.47 MX$27.08

20.41%

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

$37.6K €33.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

79.26%

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

$29.1K €25.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

21.58%

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

$147 €131

$84.2 MX$1,556

74.73%

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

$17.99 €16.00

$23.99 MX$443

-25.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.12 €20.57

$29.02 MX$536

-20.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 €46.29

$63.0 MX$1,164

-17.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.38 €8.34

$29.14 MX$539

-67.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.18 €8.16

$4.94 MX$91.3

85.83%

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

$476 €423

$204 MX$3,763

133.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,025

$3,941 MX$72.8K

157.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.0

$43.60 MX$806

114.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.34 €27.88

$43.12 MX$797

-27.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$75.8 MX$1,400

41.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$88.6 MX$1,637

32.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 €774

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$374 MX$6,911

93.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 €1,222

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-19.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 €922

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-6.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,583 €3,187

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-9.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,116 €1,882

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-65.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,868 €1,662

$754 MX$13.9K

147.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

11.45

-70.04%

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

Last update for Gijon: October 11, 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

Gijon

$725 41.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 48.4% $351

Groceries & Markets

Gijon

$275 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 6.2% $17

Eating Out

Gijon

$263 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 23.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gijon

$188 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 27.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Gijon

$157 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 28.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Gijon

$70 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 3.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Gijon

$51 3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 2.9% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $870 in Gijon and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gijon pays 148% 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: $67.0 in Gijon vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Gijon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

22:42 10:42 PM

7 h behind Gijon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

268,313

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Gijon Playa del Carmen 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Gijon
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 148% higher in Gijon, 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: $870 in Gijon versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,731 per month in Gijon versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 20% less than in Gijon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,731 in Gijon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gijon. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Gijon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Gijon 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Gijon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.