Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Groningen and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,282 in Groningen, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
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Groningen Living Index
59

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

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Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,282

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,282 in Groningen versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Groningen $2,282
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Groningen versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Groningen $3,443
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,603 in Groningen versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Groningen $4,603
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Groningen is roughly 89% 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: Groningen is 69% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 €17.63

$10.76 MX$199

84.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.0

$43.03 MX$795

137.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.34 €13.65

$11.79 MX$218

30.11%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.10

$3.87 MX$71.4

18.86%

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

$3.94 €3.50

$1.37 MX$25.29

187.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 €2.83

$0.84 MX$15.44

278.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$3.10 MX$57.3

83.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$5.07 MX$93.6

7.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.44 MX$26.55

3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.23 MX$41.23

17.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.47 MX$27.17

77.55%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$2.53 MX$46.71

79.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 €11.31

$7.30 MX$135

74.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.16 €11.71

$7.86 MX$145

67.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.17 €16.16

$12.79 MX$236

42.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.90 MX$53.6

3.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.44 MX$26.53

65.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.55 MX$47.07

-1.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 €4.23

$2.06 MX$38.03

131.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.00 MX$36.97

2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.01 MX$37.07

-21.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.19 MX$22.02

9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.26 MX$23.23

0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 €12.86

$4.40 MX$81.4

228.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$9.59 MX$177

-31.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.59 MX$29.41

-13.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.81 MX$51.9

-10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.14 €3.68

$0.57 MX$10.47

626.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 €60.0

$27.82 MX$514

142.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 €6.03

$4.98 MX$92.1

36.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.50 MX$64.6

-22.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.38 €25.24

$5.40 MX$99.8

425.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.47 MX$27.08

71.43%

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

$42.0K €37.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

99.92%

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

$39.1K €34.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

63.36%

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

$230 €204

$84.2 MX$1,556

172.54%

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

$20.48 €18.21

$23.99 MX$443

-14.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.87 €43.47

$29.02 MX$536

68.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.10 €34.78

$63.0 MX$1,164

-37.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 €13.40

$29.14 MX$539

-48.28%

Cinema Ticket

$16.69 €14.84

$4.94 MX$91.3

237.85%

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

$1,756 €1,562

$204 MX$3,763

762.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,621 €6,779

$3,941 MX$72.8K

93.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$43.60 MX$806

140.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 €39.25

$43.12 MX$797

2.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$75.8 MX$1,400

36.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 €174

$88.6 MX$1,637

121.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,194

$1,008 MX$18.6K

33.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$374 MX$6,911

148.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,748

$1,708 MX$31.6K

15.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 €1,310

$1,106 MX$20.4K

33.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,191 €4,618

$3,944 MX$72.9K

31.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,906 €3,474

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-36.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 €2,691

$754 MX$13.9K

301.11%

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 Groningen: 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

Groningen

$931 40.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 59.8% $557

Groceries & Markets

Groningen

$346 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 25.3% $88

Eating Out

Groningen

$328 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 38.3% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Groningen

$299 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 54.1% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Groningen

$202 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 44% $89

Getting Around

Groningen

$104 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 49.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Groningen

$72 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,342 in Groningen and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Groningen pays 301% 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: $102 in Groningen vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Groningen

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:15 8:15 PM

13:15 1:15 PM

7 h behind Groningen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,242

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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Groningen Playa del Carmen 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Groningen
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 89% lower than in Groningen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 301% higher in Groningen, 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: $1,342 in Groningen versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Groningen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $102 in Groningen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,282 in Groningen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Groningen. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Groningen 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 89% less than in Groningen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.