Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kefalonia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,575 in Kefalonia, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kefalonia, Greece
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Kefalonia
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,575
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,575 per month in Kefalonia vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Kefalonia $1,575
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,360 per month in Kefalonia vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Kefalonia $2,360
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,145 per month in Kefalonia vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Kefalonia $3,145
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Kefalonia costs about 31% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Kefalonia sits 17% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kefalonia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.93 €13.30
$10.67 MX$200
39.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.50 €34.28
$43.80 MX$823
-12.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.02 €8.92
$11.79 MX$221
-15.01%
Cappuccino
$3.11 €2.77
$3.79 MX$71.1
-17.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 €2.96
$1.30 MX$24.36
155.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 €0.54
$0.83 MX$15.65
-26.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.76 €4.24
$3.15 MX$59.1
51.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.29 €4.71
$4.93 MX$92.7
7.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kefalonia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 €1.48
$1.41 MX$26.46
17.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 €1.30
$2.20 MX$41.23
-33.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.60 €2.31
$1.47 MX$27.66
76.87%
Eggs
$4.49 €4.00
$2.50 MX$46.89
79.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.09 €11.66
$7.29 MX$137
79.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.27 €9.14
$7.95 MX$149
29.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.85 €13.23
$12.86 MX$242
15.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.23 €1.98
$2.90 MX$54.4
-23.10%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 €1.79
$1.38 MX$25.98
45.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.41 €1.25
$2.49 MX$46.78
-43.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.86
$2.03 MX$38.12
2.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.14 €1.01
$2.02 MX$38.03
-43.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 €1.02
$1.90 MX$35.74
-39.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 €0.96
$1.14 MX$21.49
-5.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 €0.78
$1.24 MX$23.27
-29.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 €4.72
$4.27 MX$80.2
24.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.63 €5.90
$9.81 MX$184
-32.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 €2.20
$1.59 MX$29.78
55.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 €2.23
$2.75 MX$51.6
-8.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Kefalonia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 €1.25
$0.51 MX$9.67
174.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$51.1 €45.48
$27.39 MX$514
86.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.14 €3.69
$4.76 MX$89.4
-13.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$3.25 MX$61.0
-66.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.77 €14.93
$5.39 MX$101
211.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.98 €1.76
$1.53 MX$28.70
29.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K €24.4K
$21.2K MX$398.4K
29.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K €22.9K
$23.3K MX$436.9K
10.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kefalonia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$280 €249
$83.5 MX$1,568
235.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.62 €20.15
$23.19 MX$435
-2.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.67 €27.31
$27.61 MX$519
11.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kefalonia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.7 €46.01
$56.4 MX$1,060
-8.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.29 €22.52
$28.19 MX$529
-10.29%
Cinema Ticket
$8.90 €7.93
$5.00 MX$93.9
78.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kefalonia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$404 €360
$207 MX$3,889
95.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,838 €7,870
$5,231 MX$98.2K
68.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kefalonia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.3 €78.7
$43.45 MX$816
103.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.69 €35.34
$42.54 MX$799
-6.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.5 €85.0
$72.8 MX$1,367
31.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €110
$88.4 MX$1,660
40.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kefalonia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$526 €468
$995 MX$18.7K
-47.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$428 €381
$382 MX$7,181
11.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,090 €971
$1,674 MX$31.4K
-34.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$806 €718
$1,081 MX$20.3K
-25.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,430 €2,163
$3,909 MX$73.4K
-37.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,967 €1,752
$6,138 MX$115.3K
-67.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kefalonia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,101 €980
$832 MX$15.6K
32.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
11.45
-60.87%

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

Last update for Kefalonia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kefalonia
$428
Playa del Carmen
$382 10.6% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kefalonia
$333
Playa del Carmen
$134 59.7% $199
Groceries & Markets
Kefalonia
$285
Playa del Carmen
$257 9.7% $28
Eating Out
Kefalonia
$237
Playa del Carmen
$200 15.5% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Kefalonia
$156
Playa del Carmen
$111 28.8% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Kefalonia
$69
Playa del Carmen
$66 4.4% $3
Getting Around
Kefalonia
$66
Playa del Carmen
$50 23.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Kefalonia versus $995 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 32% higher in Kefalonia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Kefalonia versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in Kefalonia vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Kefalonia
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
13:21 1:21 PM
06:21 6:21 AM
7 h behind Kefalonia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,404
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kefalonia Playa del Carmen 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kefalonia
  • 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
Kefalonia vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kefalonia or Playa del Carmen?
Kefalonia costs about 31% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kefalonia and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,363 per month in Kefalonia and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kefalonia or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kefalonia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
How do childcare costs compare in Kefalonia and in Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $404 per month in Kefalonia and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Kefalonia or in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 11% more in Kefalonia, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Kefalonia or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Kefalonia at $1,575. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kefalonia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Kefalonia or Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,575 in Kefalonia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Kefalonia or to Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kefalonia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Kefalonia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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