Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kos and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,506 in Kos, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
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Kos Living Index
58

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

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Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,506

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,506 in Kos versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Kos $1,506
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,265 in Kos versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Kos $2,265
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,024 in Kos versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Kos $3,024
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Kos is roughly 25% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kos is 11% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 €12.51

$10.92 MX$204

27.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.7

$43.37 MX$808

53.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.10

$11.78 MX$220

-4.50%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.61

$3.81 MX$71.0

5.25%

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

$3.09 €2.77

$1.28 MX$23.90

141.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.78 MX$14.59

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 €3.90

$3.17 MX$59.0

36.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.87

$4.93 MX$92.0

32.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 €2.17

$1.41 MX$26.22

71.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.46

$2.22 MX$41.33

-27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.34

$1.42 MX$26.42

83.80%

Eggs

$4.61 €4.14

$2.52 MX$47.03

82.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 €11.75

$7.26 MX$135

80.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 €9.13

$7.70 MX$143

32.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 €13.52

$12.69 MX$237

18.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.78 MX$51.9

-20.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.80

$1.37 MX$25.50

45.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.55 MX$47.55

-46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.12 MX$39.58

-3.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.94 MX$36.13

-41.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.89 MX$35.16

-39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.15 MX$21.37

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.76

$1.18 MX$21.98

-28.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 €4.84

$4.30 MX$80.1

25.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.07

$9.95 MX$185

-32.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.81

$1.58 MX$29.52

27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.67 MX$49.79

-4.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.55 MX$10.31

232.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.85 €44.78

$26.62 MX$496

87.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.67

$4.97 MX$92.6

-17.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.02

$3.33 MX$62.1

-66.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.47 €14.80

$5.36 MX$99.8

207.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.44 MX$26.92

45.14%

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

$28.0K €25.1K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

35.31%

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

$25.1K €22.6K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

7.02%

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

$201 €181

$84.8 MX$1,581

137.61%

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

$22.92 €20.59

$23.41 MX$436

-2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.73 €31.20

$28.66 MX$534

21.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 €45.49

$57.1 MX$1,063

-11.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.52 €25.62

$28.91 MX$539

-1.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 €7.90

$5.14 MX$95.8

71.21%

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

$417 €375

$207 MX$3,851

101.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,025 €8,107

$3,927 MX$73.2K

129.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 €79.9

$43.35 MX$808

105.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.15 €36.07

$41.44 MX$772

-3.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 €83.1

$74.2 MX$1,383

24.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$89.3 MX$1,664

37.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 €548

$980 MX$18.3K

-37.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 €377

$381 MX$7,099

10.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 €642

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-58.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 €527

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-45.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,594 €2,330

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-34.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,012 €1,807

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-67.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$902 €810

$735 MX$13.7K

22.78%

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 Kos: October 27, 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

Kos

$420 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 9.4% $39

Groceries & Markets

Kos

$292 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 12.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kos

$259 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 47.2% $122

Eating Out

Kos

$245 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 17.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Kos

$155 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Kos

$68 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Kos

$67 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 24.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $610 in Kos and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kos pays 23% 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: $66 in Kos vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kos

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

18:04 6:04 PM

7 h behind Kos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,947

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kos Playa del Carmen 10,620 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kos
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Kos. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Kos, 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: $610 in Kos versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $66 in Kos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,506 per month in Kos versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,506 in Kos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kos. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Kos on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.