Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lecce and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,445 in Lecce, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lecce, Italy
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Lecce
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,445
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,445 per month in Lecce vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Lecce $1,445
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Lecce vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Lecce $2,321
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,196 per month in Lecce vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Lecce $3,196
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Lecce costs about 20% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Lecce sits 6% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lecce
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.84 €15.13
$10.92 MX$204
54.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 €61.2
$43.37 MX$808
56.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.18 €9.15
$11.78 MX$220
-13.58%
Cappuccino
$1.98 €1.78
$3.81 MX$71.0
-48.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 €1.94
$1.28 MX$23.90
68.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 €0.98
$0.78 MX$14.59
39.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.47
$3.17 MX$59.0
22.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 €3.06
$4.93 MX$92.0
-30.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lecce
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 €1.29
$1.41 MX$26.22
1.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.82 €1.64
$2.22 MX$41.33
-18.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.27 €2.04
$1.42 MX$26.42
59.86%
Eggs
$2.50 €2.25
$2.52 MX$47.03
-0.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.38 €11.12
$7.26 MX$135
70.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.26 €10.12
$7.70 MX$143
46.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.31 €14.65
$12.69 MX$237
28.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.11 €1.89
$2.78 MX$51.9
-24.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 €1.74
$1.37 MX$25.50
41.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.92 €1.72
$2.55 MX$47.55
-24.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.50 €3.15
$2.12 MX$39.58
65.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.65 €1.48
$1.94 MX$36.13
-14.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.61 €1.45
$1.89 MX$35.16
-14.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 €1.07
$1.15 MX$21.37
3.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.38 €0.34
$1.18 MX$21.98
-67.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.86 €6.16
$4.30 MX$80.1
59.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.73 €6.05
$9.95 MX$185
-32.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.29
$1.58 MX$29.52
-9.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 €2.21
$2.67 MX$49.79
-7.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Lecce
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 €1.23
$0.55 MX$10.31
149.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$496
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.53 €4.96
$4.97 MX$92.6
11.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.19 €1.97
$3.33 MX$62.1
-34.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.41 €21.03
$5.36 MX$99.8
336.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.87
$1.44 MX$26.92
45.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K €32.1K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
72.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.6K €32.0K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
51.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lecce
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 €153
$84.8 MX$1,581
100.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.62 €10.44
$23.41 MX$436
-50.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.90 €25.06
$28.66 MX$534
-2.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lecce
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$80.6 €72.4
$57.1 MX$1,063
41.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$56.3 €50.5
$28.91 MX$539
94.57%
Cinema Ticket
$8.61 €7.73
$5.14 MX$95.8
67.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lecce
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$567 €509
$207 MX$3,851
174.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,021 €4,510
$3,927 MX$73.2K
27.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lecce
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.0 €73.7
$43.35 MX$808
89.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.10 €43.21
$41.44 MX$772
16.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.0 €79.1
$74.2 MX$1,383
18.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.1 €70.1
$89.3 MX$1,664
-12.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lecce
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$603 €542
$980 MX$18.3K
-38.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$470 €422
$381 MX$7,099
23.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,205 €1,083
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-29.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$903 €811
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-16.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,050 €2,740
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-22.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,579 €1,418
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-74.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lecce
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,602 €1,439
$735 MX$13.7K
118.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.82
11.45
-57.90%

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

Last update for Lecce: 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
Lecce
$470
Playa del Carmen
$381 19% $89
Groceries & Markets
Lecce
$284
Playa del Carmen
$255 10.4% $30
Eating Out
Lecce
$228
Playa del Carmen
$202 11.3% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lecce
$210
Playa del Carmen
$137 34.7% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Lecce
$133
Playa del Carmen
$112 16.2% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Lecce
$98
Playa del Carmen
$67 31.2% $31
Getting Around
Lecce
$22 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 130% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $603 in Lecce 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 Lecce are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Lecce versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Lecce
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
18:14 6:14 PM
12:14 12:14 PM
6 h behind Lecce
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
94,773
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lecce Playa del Carmen 9,750 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lecce
  • 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
Lecce vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Lecce?
Yes – Lecce is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,168 per month in Lecce and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lecce, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $603 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Lecce and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,445 in Lecce and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 20%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $567 per month in Lecce and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is it better to live in Lecce or in Playa del Carmen?
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 $1,445 in Lecce. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lecce makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Lecce vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?