Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imperia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,701 in Imperia, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Imperia
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Imperia Living Index
59

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

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Imperia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,701

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,701 in Imperia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Imperia $1,701
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,550 in Imperia versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Imperia $2,550
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,400 in Imperia versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Imperia $3,400
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Imperia is roughly 41% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Imperia is 26% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 €12.08

$10.86 MX$201

25.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 €55.7

$44.21 MX$817

41.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$11.76 MX$217

-5.78%

Cappuccino

$1.67 €1.49

$3.68 MX$68.0

-54.62%

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

$3.66 €3.26

$1.34 MX$24.79

173.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.82 MX$15.24

75.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 €5.14

$3.06 MX$56.6

88.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 €4.79

$4.94 MX$91.2

9.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.47 MX$27.17

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.22 MX$40.95

-4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$1.48 MX$27.32

137.84%

Eggs

$4.14 €3.68

$2.49 MX$45.99

66.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 €11.12

$7.52 MX$139

66.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.12 €10.78

$7.96 MX$147

52.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.74 €20.23

$12.57 MX$232

80.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.78 MX$51.3

-14.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.43 MX$26.37

61.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.62 MX$48.37

25.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$2.14 MX$39.49

94.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.02 MX$37.38

18.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.99 MX$36.74

-13.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.14 MX$21.01

9.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.20 MX$22.18

-55.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.38 €6.56

$4.26 MX$78.7

73.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.65 €4.14

$10.02 MX$185

-53.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.54 MX$28.41

-25.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.66 MX$49.17

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.53 MX$9.73

256.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.8 €49.60

$27.51 MX$508

102.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 €6.94

$4.90 MX$90.6

59.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.43 MX$63.5

-36.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.9 €57.7

$5.38 MX$99.4

1106.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.45 MX$26.76

51.72%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

74.90%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

60.74%

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

$136 €121

$85.4 MX$1,577

58.74%

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

$10.10 €8.98

$23.46 MX$434

-56.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.96 €26.65

$28.43 MX$525

5.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$62.2 MX$1,149

13.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 €22.73

$28.68 MX$530

-10.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$5.10 MX$94.3

120.20%

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

$836 €744

$201 MX$3,715

315.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K €16.5K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

368.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 €81.1

$44.39 MX$820

105.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 €35.34

$41.35 MX$764

-3.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$72.7 MX$1,344

43.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$89.6 MX$1,656

42.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 €702

$979 MX$18.1K

-19.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 €558

$373 MX$6,887

68.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 €1,503

$1,681 MX$31.1K

0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$910 €809

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-16.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,490

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-29.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,030 €1,806

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-66.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,753 €1,559

$738 MX$13.6K

137.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

11.45

-72.23%

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

Last update for Imperia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Imperia

$627 36.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 40.6% $255

Groceries & Markets

Imperia

$337 19.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 23.4% $79

Eating Out

Imperia

$222 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 9.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imperia

$176 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 21.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Imperia

$163 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Imperia

$93 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 22.1% $21

Getting Around

Imperia

$82 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 37% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $790 in Imperia and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Imperia pays 138% 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: $63.0 in Imperia vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Imperia

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

15:30 3:30 PM

7 h behind Imperia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,999

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Imperia Playa del Carmen 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Imperia
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 138% higher in Imperia, 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: $790 in Imperia versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Imperia. 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 $44.00 versus $63.0 in Imperia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,701 in Imperia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Imperia. 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 Imperia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Imperia 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 41% less than in Imperia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.