Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lelystad and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,710 in Lelystad, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
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Lelystad Living Index
58

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

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Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,710

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,710 per month in Lelystad vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lelystad $1,710
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,651 per month in Lelystad vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lelystad $2,651
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,592 per month in Lelystad vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lelystad $3,592
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Lelystad costs about 42% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lelystad sits 26% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €20.01

$10.92 MX$204

103.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 €74.0

$43.37 MX$810

89.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €12.02

$11.78 MX$220

13.50%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$3.81 MX$71.2

7.61%

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

$2.60 €2.34

$1.28 MX$23.96

103.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.78 MX$14.63

198.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.20 €4.67

$3.17 MX$59.2

64.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.05

$4.93 MX$92.2

-8.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.41 MX$26.28

-10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.46

$2.22 MX$41.43

-26.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.42 MX$26.48

69.01%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.13

$2.52 MX$47.14

82.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.80 €6.11

$7.26 MX$136

-6.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.20 €12.75

$7.70 MX$144

84.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.57 €14.89

$12.69 MX$237

30.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 €1.90

$2.78 MX$52.0

-24.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.37 MX$25.56

79.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.65

$2.55 MX$47.66

-28.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 €3.17

$2.12 MX$39.67

66.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.94 MX$36.22

-10.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.89 MX$35.24

-7.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.15 MX$21.42

11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.18 MX$22.03

-31.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.44 €8.48

$4.30 MX$80.3

119.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 €6.15

$9.95 MX$186

-31.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.58 MX$29.59

-18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.18

$2.67 MX$49.91

-9.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €99.5

$26.62 MX$497

315.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 €3.34

$4.97 MX$92.9

-25.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.36

$3.33 MX$62.2

-21.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.07 €23.42

$5.36 MX$100

386.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.44 MX$26.98

51.39%

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

$33.6K €30.1K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

62.37%

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

$39.4K €35.4K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

67.74%

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

$242 €217

$84.8 MX$1,584

185.01%

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

$14.72 €13.22

$23.41 MX$437

-37.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.30 €29.02

$28.66 MX$535

12.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.75 €38.41

$57.1 MX$1,066

-25.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$13.62 €12.24

$5.14 MX$96.0

164.98%

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

$2,725 €2,448

$207 MX$3,860

1219.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,152 €7,325

$3,927 MX$73.4K

107.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €83.5

$43.35 MX$810

114.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.39 €43.48

$41.44 MX$774

16.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €84.2

$74.2 MX$1,386

26.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$89.3 MX$1,668

29.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 €601

$980 MX$18.3K

-31.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 €402

$381 MX$7,116

17.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 €1,195

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-22.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 €692

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-28.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,420 €2,174

$735 MX$13.7K

229.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

11.45

-71.79%

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

Last update for Lelystad: October 25, 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

Lelystad

$447 26.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 14.9% $67

Eating Out

Lelystad

$322 18.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 37.2% $120

Groceries & Markets

Lelystad

$297 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 14.1% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lelystad

$289 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.6% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Lelystad

$158 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.1% $46

Getting Around

Lelystad

$128 * 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 60.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Lelystad

$70 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.8% $2.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $668 in Lelystad 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 Lelystad are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Lelystad versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

06:59 6:59 AM

6 h behind Lelystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,598

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lelystad Playa del Carmen 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lelystad
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

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

Lelystad costs about 42% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,565 per month in Lelystad 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 Lelystad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $668 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Lelystad and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,710 in Lelystad and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 42%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Lelystad at $1,710. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lelystad 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 $1,710 in Lelystad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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