Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ioannina and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,378 in Ioannina, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ioannina
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Ioannina Living Index
59

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

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Ioannina

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,378

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Ioannina versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Ioannina $1,378
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Ioannina versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Ioannina $2,102
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,827 in Ioannina versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Ioannina $2,827
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Ioannina is roughly 14% 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: Ioannina is 2% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.71 €14.90

$10.76 MX$198

55.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.81 €30.14

$43.03 MX$794

-21.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 €9.89

$11.79 MX$217

-5.85%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.62

$3.87 MX$71.3

4.91%

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

$2.87 €2.56

$1.37 MX$25.24

109.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.84 MX$15.41

-30.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 €4.02

$3.10 MX$57.2

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 €5.04

$5.07 MX$93.4

11.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.44 MX$26.49

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.23 MX$41.15

-49.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.70 €3.30

$1.47 MX$27.12

151.70%

Eggs

$3.56 €3.17

$2.53 MX$46.62

40.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 €9.74

$7.30 MX$135

49.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 €8.04

$7.86 MX$145

14.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.08 €10.77

$12.79 MX$236

-5.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.90 MX$53.5

-14.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.44 MX$26.48

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.55 MX$46.98

-52.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.06 MX$37.95

27.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.00 MX$36.90

-42.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 €0.91

$2.01 MX$36.99

-49.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.19 MX$21.97

-15.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.26 MX$23.18

-32.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.42 €4.84

$4.40 MX$81.2

23.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 €5.79

$9.59 MX$177

-32.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.59 MX$29.35

25.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$2.81 MX$51.8

16.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.57 MX$10.44

129.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.58 €37.07

$27.82 MX$513

49.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.81

$4.98 MX$91.9

-14.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$3.50 MX$64.5

-67.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.86 €6.12

$5.40 MX$99.6

27.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.47 MX$27.02

39.46%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$21.0K MX$387.0K

32.77%

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

$24.8K €22.1K

$23.9K MX$440.9K

3.87%

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

$213 €190

$84.2 MX$1,553

153.15%

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

$22.85 €20.37

$23.99 MX$442

-4.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.89 €25.76

$29.02 MX$535

-0.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 €40.33

$63.0 MX$1,162

-28.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.82 €39.96

$29.14 MX$537

53.81%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 €7.81

$4.94 MX$91.2

77.33%

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

$339 €303

$204 MX$3,755

66.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,804 €7,850

$3,941 MX$72.7K

123.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 €60.0

$43.60 MX$804

54.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.06 €41.07

$43.12 MX$795

6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 €68.0

$75.8 MX$1,397

0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$88.6 MX$1,634

50.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 €407

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-54.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 €287

$374 MX$6,898

-13.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 €623

$1,708 MX$31.5K

-59.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 €550

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-44.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,927 €2,610

$3,944 MX$72.7K

-25.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,433 €2,170

$6,169 MX$113.8K

-60.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 €941

$754 MX$13.9K

39.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.73

11.45

-58.69%

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

Last update for Ioannina: 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

Ioannina

$322 23.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 16% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ioannina

$265 19.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 48.2% $128

Eating Out

Ioannina

$263 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 23.2% $61

Groceries & Markets

Ioannina

$263 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 1.7% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Ioannina

$145 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 22.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ioannina

$63 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 16.1% $10

Getting Around

Ioannina

$57 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 7.4% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $457 in Ioannina and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ioannina pays 40% 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: $34.00 in Ioannina vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $263 vs $258, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Ioannina

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

06:33 6:33 AM

8 h behind Ioannina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,061

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.42 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 18.44 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.68 MXN (100 MXN = 4.83 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ioannina Playa del Carmen 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ioannina
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

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

Ioannina and Playa del Carmen differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,378 vs $1,210 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Ioannina, 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: $457 in Ioannina versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $339 in Ioannina versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Ioannina. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,378 in Ioannina, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ioannina. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ioannina 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 14% less than in Ioannina. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.