Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Latina and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,594 in Latina, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Latina
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,594
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Latina versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Latina $1,594
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,507 in Latina versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Latina $2,507
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,421 in Latina versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Latina $3,421
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Latina is roughly 32% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Latina is 18% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Latina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.53 €17.37
$10.86 MX$201
79.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.3 €49.15
$44.21 MX$817
24.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.82 €9.63
$11.76 MX$217
-7.99%
Cappuccino
$1.85 €1.64
$3.68 MX$68.0
-49.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 €2.57
$1.34 MX$24.79
115.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 €1.23
$0.82 MX$15.24
69.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.77 €5.13
$3.06 MX$56.6
88.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.40 €3.91
$4.94 MX$91.2
-10.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Latina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.47 MX$27.17
19.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 €1.54
$2.22 MX$40.95
-22.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.79 €2.48
$1.48 MX$27.32
88.51%
Eggs
$4.58 €4.08
$2.49 MX$45.99
83.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.15 €15.25
$7.52 MX$139
128.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.78 €10.47
$7.96 MX$147
47.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.75 €16.68
$12.57 MX$232
49.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 €2.48
$2.78 MX$51.3
0.36%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 €1.98
$1.43 MX$26.37
55.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.92 €2.60
$2.62 MX$48.37
11.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.08 €2.74
$2.14 MX$39.49
43.93%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 €1.81
$2.02 MX$37.38
0.99%
Onion (1kg)
$1.92 €1.71
$1.99 MX$36.74
-3.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.26 €1.12
$1.14 MX$21.01
10.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 €0.50
$1.20 MX$22.18
-52.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.16 €5.48
$4.26 MX$78.7
44.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.34 €7.42
$10.02 MX$185
-16.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 €1.33
$1.54 MX$28.41
-3.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 €1.49
$2.66 MX$49.17
-37.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Latina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 €1.32
$0.53 MX$9.73
181.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.35 €31.44
$27.51 MX$508
28.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.44 €3.95
$4.90 MX$90.6
-9.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.72 €1.53
$3.43 MX$63.5
-49.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.21 €19.75
$5.38 MX$99.4
312.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.45 MX$26.76
42.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.5K €28.0K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
48.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K €30.4K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
48.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Latina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$214 €190
$85.4 MX$1,577
150.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 €12.39
$23.46 MX$434
-40.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.80 €27.39
$28.43 MX$525
8.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Latina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.9 €55.1
$62.2 MX$1,149
-0.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.82 €12.30
$28.68 MX$530
-51.81%
Cinema Ticket
$8.77 €7.80
$5.10 MX$94.3
71.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Latina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$454 €404
$201 MX$3,715
125.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$3,947 MX$72.9K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Latina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$96.9 €86.2
$44.39 MX$820
118.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.46 €27.98
$41.35 MX$764
-23.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 €110
$72.7 MX$1,344
70.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 €117
$89.6 MX$1,656
46.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Latina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$567 €504
$979 MX$18.1K
-42.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$429 €382
$373 MX$6,887
15.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,057 €940
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-37.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$870 €774
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-20.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,686 €2,389
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-31.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,015 €1,792
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-67.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Latina
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,959 €1,742
$738 MX$13.6K
165.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.35
11.45
-62.01%

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

Last update for Latina: October 19, 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
Latina
$429
Playa del Carmen
$373 13.1% $56
Groceries & Markets
Latina
$334
Playa del Carmen
$258 22.8% $76
Eating Out
Latina
$266
Playa del Carmen
$200 24.6% $65
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Latina
$258
Playa del Carmen
$137 46.9% $121
Clothing & Footwear
Latina
$173
Playa del Carmen
$112 35.3% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Latina
$79
Playa del Carmen
$72 8.9% $7
Getting Around
Latina
$54
Playa del Carmen
$52 4.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $567 in Latina and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Latina pays 166% 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: $55.0 in Latina vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Latina
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
16:54 4:54 PM
09:54 9:54 AM
7 h behind Latina
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,395
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Latina Playa del Carmen 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Latina
  • 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
Latina vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Latina?
Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Latina or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay runs 166% higher in Latina, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Latina and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $567 in Latina versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Latina or in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $55.0 in Latina. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Latina and in Playa del Carmen?
All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Latina versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Latina or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,594 in Latina, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Latina. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Latina or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Latina, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Latina. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Latina vs other spots: cost of living compared

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