Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,705 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 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 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Living Index
59

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

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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,705

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 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 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,705 per month in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria $1,705
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,582 per month in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria $2,582
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,458 per month in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria $3,458
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria costs about 42% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria sits 26% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.21 €11.75

$10.86 MX$201

21.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 €65.6

$44.21 MX$817

66.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 €9.30

$11.76 MX$217

-11.05%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.28

$3.68 MX$68.0

-30.43%

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

$2.20 €1.96

$1.34 MX$24.79

64.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.42

$0.82 MX$15.24

95.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 €2.75

$3.06 MX$56.6

0.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.16

$4.94 MX$91.2

-28.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.47 MX$27.17

-23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.22 MX$40.95

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.48 MX$27.32

10.14%

Eggs

$3.73 €3.32

$2.49 MX$45.99

49.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.87 €10.56

$7.52 MX$139

57.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.86 €8.77

$7.96 MX$147

23.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$12.57 MX$232

44.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.78 MX$51.3

-6.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$1.43 MX$26.37

86.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.62 MX$48.37

-13.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.14 MX$39.49

22.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.02 MX$37.38

14.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.99 MX$36.74

19.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.14 MX$21.01

74.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.20 MX$22.18

-27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 €4.07

$4.26 MX$78.7

7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 €6.16

$10.02 MX$185

-30.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.54 MX$28.41

16.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.66 MX$49.17

-1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.57

$0.53 MX$9.73

232.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.47 €13.76

$27.51 MX$508

-43.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 €3.07

$4.90 MX$90.6

-29.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.03

$3.43 MX$63.5

-33.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.59 €25.43

$5.38 MX$99.4

431.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.45 MX$26.76

20.00%

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

$30.8K €27.4K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

45.53%

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

$31.8K €28.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

38.09%

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

$114 €102

$85.4 MX$1,577

34.02%

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

$19.81 €17.62

$23.46 MX$434

-15.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.65 €25.48

$28.43 MX$525

0.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.84 €38.11

$62.2 MX$1,149

-31.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.59 €14.75

$28.68 MX$530

-42.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.92 €7.94

$5.10 MX$94.3

74.90%

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

$482 €429

$201 MX$3,715

139.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,731 €5,987

$3,947 MX$72.9K

70.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.0

$44.39 MX$820

95.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.36 €33.23

$41.35 MX$764

-9.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 €80.1

$72.7 MX$1,344

23.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$89.6 MX$1,656

36.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 €883

$979 MX$18.1K

1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 €702

$373 MX$6,887

111.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 €1,409

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-5.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 €1,099

$1,095 MX$20.2K

12.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,210 €2,856

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-18.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 €1,661

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-69.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,726 €1,535

$738 MX$13.6K

134.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

11.45

-72.49%

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

Last update for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: October 20, 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

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

$789 46.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 52.8% $416

Groceries & Markets

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

$298 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 13.3% $40

Eating Out

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

$206 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 2.6% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

$163 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 15.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

$151 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

$61 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 19.3% $12

Getting Around

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

$37 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 38.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $993 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria versus $979 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 134% higher in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

6 h behind Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

378,027

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Playa del Carmen 7,200 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
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

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,557 per month in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,705 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 42%.

Public transport costs about 78% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria at $1,705. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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