Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarda and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,271 in Guarda, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Guarda
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Guarda Living Index
58

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

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Guarda

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,271

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,271 per month in Guarda vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Guarda $1,271
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,978 per month in Guarda vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Guarda $1,978
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,684 per month in Guarda vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Guarda $2,684
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Guarda costs about 6% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Guarda and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Guarda 7% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 €11.69

$10.92 MX$205

19.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.16 €39.55

$43.37 MX$814

1.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.15

$11.78 MX$221

-3.82%

Cappuccino

$1.65 €1.48

$3.81 MX$71.5

-56.69%

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

$1.92 €1.72

$1.28 MX$24.07

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.78 MX$14.70

117.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.17 MX$59.5

-27.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.46

$4.93 MX$92.7

-21.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.92

$1.41 MX$26.40

-27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.22 MX$41.62

-27.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.42 MX$26.61

7.75%

Eggs

$3.66 €3.28

$2.52 MX$47.36

45.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 €9.91

$7.26 MX$136

52.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 €10.51

$7.70 MX$144

52.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.89 €21.40

$12.69 MX$238

88.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.78 MX$52.3

-15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.37 MX$25.68

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.55 MX$47.89

-16.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.12 MX$39.86

11.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.94 MX$36.39

19.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.89 MX$35.41

21.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.15 MX$21.53

-14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.18 MX$22.13

-5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.19

$4.30 MX$80.6

60.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.09 €4.56

$9.95 MX$187

-48.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.58 MX$29.73

5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.67 MX$50.1

-8.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.55 MX$10.39

209.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 €4.49

$4.97 MX$93.3

0.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.78 €15.03

$5.36 MX$101

213.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.44 MX$27.11

52.78%

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

$32.7K €29.3K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

58.38%

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

$38.1K €34.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

62.49%

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

$188 €169

$84.8 MX$1,592

122.29%

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

$16.66 €14.92

$23.41 MX$439

-28.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.88

$28.66 MX$538

78.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 €50.9

$57.1 MX$1,071

-0.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 €6.18

$5.14 MX$96.5

34.24%

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

$428 €384

$207 MX$3,878

107.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K €12.1K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

244.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.06 €30.50

$43.35 MX$814

-21.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.99 €19.69

$41.44 MX$778

-46.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 €118

$74.2 MX$1,393

77.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 €148

$89.3 MX$1,676

84.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 €354

$980 MX$18.4K

-59.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 €248

$381 MX$7,150

-27.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 €648

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-57.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 €495

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-48.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,366 €1,224

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-65.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

11.45

-71.44%

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

Last update for Guarda: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Guarda

$305 24%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 16.5% $50

Accommodation & Living

Guarda

$276 21.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 37.8% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarda

$256 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 46.6% $120

Eating Out

Guarda

$192 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 5.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Guarda

$159 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Guarda

$71 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 4.6% $3.3

Getting Around

Guarda

$12 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 327% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $395 in Guarda versus $980 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Guarda versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $305 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Guarda

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

5 h behind Guarda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,126

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guarda Playa del Carmen 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarda
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

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

Guarda costs about 6% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Guarda and $1,806 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 Guarda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,271 in Guarda and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 5% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Guarda, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,271 in Guarda and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,271 in Guarda. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.