Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gouda and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,472 in Gouda, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Gouda
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Gouda Living Index
59

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

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Gouda

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,472

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,472 per month in Gouda vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gouda $2,472
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,894 per month in Gouda vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gouda $3,894
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $5,316 per month in Gouda vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gouda $5,316
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Gouda costs about 104% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gouda sits 83% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 €17.11

$10.76 MX$199

78.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 €80.1

$43.03 MX$795

109.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.22 €13.54

$11.79 MX$218

29.09%

Cappuccino

$4.45 €3.96

$3.87 MX$71.4

14.99%

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

$3.43 €3.05

$1.37 MX$25.29

150.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 €2.73

$0.84 MX$15.44

265.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 €7.07

$3.10 MX$57.3

156.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 €5.19

$5.07 MX$93.6

15.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.44 MX$26.55

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.23 MX$41.23

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.47 MX$27.17

74.83%

Eggs

$4.59 €4.08

$2.53 MX$46.71

81.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.93

$7.30 MX$135

99.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$7.86 MX$145

64.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.62 €14.78

$12.79 MX$236

29.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.90 MX$53.6

-7.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.44 MX$26.53

58.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.55 MX$47.07

-22.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 €3.24

$2.06 MX$38.03

77.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.00 MX$36.97

-14.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.01 MX$37.07

-4.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.19 MX$22.02

-1.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$1.26 MX$23.23

-24.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 €11.92

$4.40 MX$81.4

204.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$9.59 MX$177

-31.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.59 MX$29.41

-8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.81 MX$51.9

-10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.53 €3.14

$0.57 MX$10.47

519.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.2 €74.0

$27.82 MX$514

198.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 €3.06

$4.98 MX$92.1

-30.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.30 €2.93

$3.50 MX$64.6

-5.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.00 €19.57

$5.40 MX$99.8

307.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.47 MX$27.08

62.59%

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

$41.9K €37.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

99.89%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

59.54%

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

$274 €244

$84.2 MX$1,556

225.72%

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

$15.23 €13.55

$23.99 MX$443

-36.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.04 €43.62

$29.02 MX$536

68.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 €52.6

$63.0 MX$1,164

-6.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.27 €21.59

$29.14 MX$539

-16.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.77 €13.14

$4.94 MX$91.3

198.99%

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

$1,751 €1,558

$204 MX$3,763

760.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K €11.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

237.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 €84.5

$43.60 MX$806

117.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.29 €37.62

$43.12 MX$797

-1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.4

$75.8 MX$1,400

38.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$88.6 MX$1,637

57.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 €1,588

$1,008 MX$18.6K

77.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €978

$374 MX$6,911

194.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 €2,494

$1,708 MX$31.6K

64.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 €2,011

$1,106 MX$20.4K

104.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,355 €4,763

$3,944 MX$72.9K

35.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-28.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,477 €2,203

$754 MX$13.9K

228.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

11.45

-70.31%

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

Last update for Gouda: 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

Gouda

$1.1K 44.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 66% $726

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gouda

$339 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 59.5% $201

Eating Out

Gouda

$330 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 38.8% $128

Groceries & Markets

Gouda

$325 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 20.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Gouda

$172 7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 34.3% $59

Getting Around

Gouda

$117 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 55.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Gouda

$89 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 17.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,785 in Gouda 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 228% higher in Gouda, 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 $90.0 in Gouda versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Gouda

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

10:52 10:52 AM

7 h behind Gouda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,427

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

On the map

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Gouda Playa del Carmen 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gouda
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

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

Gouda costs about 104% 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 $3,707 per month in Gouda 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Gouda and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,472 in Gouda and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 104%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Gouda at $2,472. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gouda it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $2,472 in Gouda. 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, Gouda makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.