Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kempten and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,986 in Kempten, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Kempten
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Kempten Living Index
58

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

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Kempten

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,986

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,986 per month in Kempten vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kempten $1,986
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,951 per month in Kempten vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kempten $2,951
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,915 per month in Kempten vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kempten $3,915
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kempten costs about 65% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kempten sits 46% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 €15.98

$10.92 MX$203

63.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.0 €50.9

$43.37 MX$805

31.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 €8.29

$11.78 MX$219

-21.22%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.66

$3.81 MX$70.7

7.61%

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

$2.82 €2.52

$1.28 MX$23.81

120.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.78 MX$14.54

198.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 €4.20

$3.17 MX$58.8

48.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.19

$4.93 MX$91.7

-27.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.41 MX$26.12

-9.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.22 MX$41.17

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 €2.89

$1.42 MX$26.32

127.46%

Eggs

$4.68 €4.18

$2.52 MX$46.85

85.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.07 €14.35

$7.26 MX$135

121.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 €11.48

$7.70 MX$143

66.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.02 €15.21

$12.69 MX$236

34.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.78 MX$51.7

-10.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.37 MX$25.41

8.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$2.55 MX$47.37

-40.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 €3.50

$2.12 MX$39.43

84.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.94 MX$36.00

-31.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.89 MX$35.02

-24.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.15 MX$21.29

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.18 MX$21.89

-51.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.22 €8.24

$4.30 MX$79.8

114.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 €4.90

$9.95 MX$185

-44.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.91

$1.58 MX$29.41

-36.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.67 MX$49.60

-57.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 €2.79

$0.55 MX$10.28

467.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 €54.5

$26.62 MX$494

129.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 €4.25

$4.97 MX$92.3

-4.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 €2.47

$3.33 MX$61.9

-17.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.72 €35.48

$5.36 MX$99.5

641.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.44 MX$26.82

39.58%

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

$33.9K €30.3K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

64.11%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

46.16%

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

$315 €282

$84.8 MX$1,575

271.78%

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

$17.60 €15.72

$23.41 MX$435

-24.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.34 €37.82

$28.66 MX$532

47.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 €49.46

$57.1 MX$1,059

-2.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.42 €23.60

$28.91 MX$537

-8.61%

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 €11.57

$5.14 MX$95.4

151.95%

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

$316 €282

$207 MX$3,836

52.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K €15.6K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

345.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 €78.1

$43.35 MX$805

101.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.00 €38.40

$41.44 MX$770

3.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 €87.0

$74.2 MX$1,378

31.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$89.3 MX$1,657

57.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 €804

$980 MX$18.2K

-8.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 €612

$381 MX$7,072

80.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 €1,414

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-7.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,064

$1,075 MX$20.0K

10.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,148 €5,492

$3,943 MX$73.2K

55.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,842 €4,325

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-21.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,992 €3,565

$735 MX$13.6K

443.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.6

11.45

-77.29%

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

Last update for Kempten: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kempten

$686 34.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 44.5% $305

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kempten

$375 18.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63.5% $238

Groceries & Markets

Kempten

$314 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 19% $60

Eating Out

Kempten

$271 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 25.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Kempten

$166 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.6% $54

Getting Around

Kempten

$92 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 45.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Kempten

$81 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 17.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $900 in Kempten 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.

Salaries in Kempten are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Kempten versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Kempten

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

6 h behind Kempten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,399

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kempten Playa del Carmen 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kempten
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,986 in Kempten, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,979 per month in Kempten and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $900 in Kempten and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $316 per month in Kempten and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Kempten at $1,986. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kempten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,986 in Kempten. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kempten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.