Cost of Living Comparison Between Les Ulis and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Les Ulis and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,862 per month in Les Ulis vs $1,261 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,844 per month in Les Ulis vs $2,130 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

A family of three spends $3,826 per month in Les Ulis vs $2,999 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Les Ulis costs about 48% more than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Les Ulis sits 39% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.74 €13.43

$11.67 MX$202

34.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 €58.7

$41.88 MX$726

64.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 €8.82

$10.40 MX$180

-0.58%

Cappuccino

$3.64 €3.10

$3.61 MX$62.6

0.83%

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

$3.54 €3.02

$1.47 MX$25.45

140.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €2.91

$0.91 MX$15.80

274.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.00 €6.82

$3.03 MX$52.6

164.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 €4.97

$4.47 MX$77.4

30.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 €0.71

$1.38 MX$23.83

-39.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.73

$1.84 MX$31.93

10.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 €0.86

$1.61 MX$27.82

-37.27%

Eggs

$5.21 €4.44

$2.57 MX$44.52

102.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 €11.82

$8.49 MX$147

63.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.10 €12.02

$8.49 MX$147

66.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.50 €11.52

$10.99 MX$190

22.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 €2.00

$2.73 MX$47.25

-14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.54

$1.50 MX$25.92

20.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 €2.99

$1.96 MX$33.93

79.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 €3.21

$2.12 MX$36.70

77.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.22

$1.86 MX$32.30

40.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.69

$2.17 MX$37.67

-8.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 €1.61

$1.07 MX$18.59

76.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 €0.36

$1.05 MX$18.18

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 €10.01

$4.19 MX$72.6

180.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.62 €8.21

$10.28 MX$178

-6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.38

$1.67 MX$28.87

67.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 €3.58

$2.49 MX$43.12

68.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 €1.64

$0.54 MX$9.37

255.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.97 €41.77

$26.27 MX$455

86.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 €3.99

$3.10 MX$53.8

50.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.77

$2.46 MX$42.66

-15.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.9 €47.69

$3.24 MX$56.1

1625.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.83

$1.26 MX$21.83

70.63%

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

$35.9K €30.6K

$30.2K MX$522.8K

18.97%

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

$36.4K €31.0K

$23.4K MX$406.3K

55.14%

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

$251 €214

$84.0 MX$1,456

198.52%

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

$16.65 €14.21

$22.21 MX$385

-25.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.48 €31.12

$29.65 MX$514

23.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.70 €32.16

$52.6 MX$912

-28.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.36 €15.66

$18.34 MX$318

0.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.58 €13.29

$4.95 MX$85.7

214.75%

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

$877 €748

$198 MX$3,438

342.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,608 €7,342

$5,322 MX$92.2K

61.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €96.6

$35.95 MX$623

215.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.00 €40.95

$40.06 MX$694

19.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €105

$78.8 MX$1,365

56.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 €137

$86.5 MX$1,499

86.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 €664

$977 MX$16.9K

-20.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$614 €524

$471 MX$8,158

30.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,195

$1,595 MX$27.6K

-12.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €914

$1,215 MX$21.1K

-11.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,391 €3,745

$4,032 MX$69.9K

8.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,938 €2,506

$6,579 MX$114.0K

-55.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$714 MX$12.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

11.42

-68.91%

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

Last update for Les Ulis: April 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 19, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $778 in Les Ulis versus $977 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Les Ulis versus $42 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $252 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,862 in Les Ulis, $1,261 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 48% apart. Les Ulis costs more across the board, with Clothing & Footwear showing the biggest gap.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,794 per month in Les Ulis and $1,891 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.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Les Ulis, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Les Ulis and $42.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,261, than in Les Ulis at $1,862. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Les Ulis 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 $1,261 in Playa del Carmen to $1,862 in Les Ulis. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Les Ulis makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.