Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Girona and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,844 in Girona, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Girona
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Girona Living Index
59

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

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Girona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,844

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,844 per month in Girona vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Girona $1,844
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,700 per month in Girona vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Girona $2,700
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,555 per month in Girona vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Girona $3,555
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Girona costs about 52% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Girona sits 37% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.88 €15.90

$10.76 MX$199

66.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 €54.5

$43.03 MX$795

42.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 €7.88

$11.79 MX$218

-24.85%

Cappuccino

$2.48 €2.21

$3.87 MX$71.4

-35.92%

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

$2.10 €1.87

$1.37 MX$25.29

53.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.84 MX$15.44

136.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.18 €3.72

$3.10 MX$57.3

34.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 €3.86

$5.07 MX$93.6

-14.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.44 MX$26.55

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.23 MX$41.23

-47.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.47 MX$27.17

-4.76%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.66

$2.53 MX$46.71

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 €9.76

$7.30 MX$135

50.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.02 €7.13

$7.86 MX$145

2.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 €13.15

$12.79 MX$236

15.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.90 MX$53.6

-16.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.44 MX$26.53

43.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.55 MX$47.07

-16.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.06 MX$38.03

23.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.00 MX$36.97

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.01 MX$37.07

-0.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.19 MX$22.02

10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.26 MX$23.23

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.09

$4.40 MX$81.4

55.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.61 €5.88

$9.59 MX$177

-31.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.59 MX$29.41

6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.81 MX$51.9

-35.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.57 MX$10.47

224.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.60 €31.66

$27.82 MX$514

27.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.98 MX$92.1

-45.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 €1.65

$3.50 MX$64.6

-47.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.08 €19.63

$5.40 MX$99.8

308.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.47 MX$27.08

21.77%

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

$34.5K €30.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

64.42%

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

$30.2K €26.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

26.18%

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

$127 €113

$84.2 MX$1,556

51.16%

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

$23.73 €21.10

$23.99 MX$443

-1.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.06 €30.29

$29.02 MX$536

17.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.37

$63.0 MX$1,164

-17.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.24 €19.78

$29.14 MX$539

-23.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 €8.18

$4.94 MX$91.3

86.03%

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

$670 €596

$204 MX$3,763

229.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,374 €8,337

$3,941 MX$72.8K

137.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 €67.3

$43.60 MX$806

73.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.35 €38.55

$43.12 MX$797

0.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 €70.8

$75.8 MX$1,400

5.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$88.6 MX$1,637

35.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 €1,095

$1,008 MX$18.6K

22.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 €794

$374 MX$6,911

138.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,065 €1,837

$1,708 MX$31.6K

20.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,199

$1,106 MX$20.4K

21.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,150 €4,580

$3,944 MX$72.9K

30.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,686 €3,278

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-40.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,786 €1,589

$754 MX$13.9K

136.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.02

11.45

-73.62%

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

Last update for Girona: 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

Girona

$893 48.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 58.1% $519

Groceries & Markets

Girona

$252 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 2.6% $6.6

Eating Out

Girona

$245 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 17.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Girona

$185 10%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 25.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Girona

$143 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 21.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Girona

$71 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 3.3% $2.4

Getting Around

Girona

$55 3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 4.3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,232 in Girona 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.

Salaries run about 137% higher in Girona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Girona versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $252 in Girona vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Girona wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Girona

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

06:29 6:29 AM

7 h behind Girona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,320

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 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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Girona Playa del Carmen 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Girona
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

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

Girona costs about 52% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,766 per month in Girona and $1,816 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Girona – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Girona and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Girona at $1,844. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Girona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,844 in Girona. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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