Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,050 per month in Lyon vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lyon $2,050
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,182 per month in Lyon vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lyon $3,182
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,315 per month in Lyon vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Lyon $4,315
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Lyon costs about 70% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lyon sits 51% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.10

$10.92 MX$205

54.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$43.37 MX$814

55.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.25

$11.78 MX$221

16.04%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.69

$3.81 MX$71.5

8.14%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$1.28 MX$24.07

115.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.78 MX$14.70

111.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.80

$3.17 MX$59.5

139.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 €5.44

$4.93 MX$92.7

23.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.41 MX$26.40

11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.22 MX$41.62

-22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.42 MX$26.61

72.54%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.25

$2.52 MX$47.36

88.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.95 €20.55

$7.26 MX$136

216.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 €10.93

$7.70 MX$144

58.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.99 €20.59

$12.69 MX$238

81.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$2.78 MX$52.3

-13.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.37 MX$25.68

83.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.55 MX$47.89

34.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.12 MX$39.86

50.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.94 MX$36.39

28.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$1.89 MX$35.41

55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.15 MX$21.53

22.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.18 MX$22.13

-9.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.44

$4.30 MX$80.6

223.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.96

$9.95 MX$187

-21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.58 MX$29.73

68.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.67 MX$50.1

21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.16

$0.55 MX$10.39

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 €73.7

$26.62 MX$500

209.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 €7.52

$4.97 MX$93.3

68.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.97

$3.33 MX$62.5

-33.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.20 €36.89

$5.36 MX$101

668.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.44 MX$27.11

53.47%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

66.40%

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

$37.6K €33.6K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

60.10%

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

$268 €240

$84.8 MX$1,592

215.82%

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

$14.01 €12.55

$23.41 MX$439

-40.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 €26.06

$28.66 MX$538

1.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.88 €33.03

$57.1 MX$1,071

-35.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 €25.41

$28.91 MX$543

-1.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 €13.73

$5.14 MX$96.5

198.25%

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

$628 €563

$207 MX$3,878

204.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

184.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.5

$43.35 MX$814

148.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.36 €38.84

$41.44 MX$778

4.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$74.2 MX$1,393

64.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$89.3 MX$1,676

42.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €798

$980 MX$18.4K

-9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$381 MX$7,150

84.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 €1,683

$1,708 MX$32.1K

10.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 €1,226

$1,075 MX$20.2K

27.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,425 €5,755

$3,943 MX$74.0K

62.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,866

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-29.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 €2,748

$735 MX$13.8K

317.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

11.45

-67.86%

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

Last update for Lyon: 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

Lyon

$702 34.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 45.8% $321

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$385 18.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$311 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 56% $174

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 31% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$180 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 38% $68

Getting Around

Lyon

$111 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 54.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$68 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Lyon 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 Lyon are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Lyon versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

16:16 4:16 PM

6 h behind Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Lyon Playa del Carmen 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
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

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

Lyon costs about 70% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,075 per month in Lyon and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $891 in Lyon and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,050 in Lyon and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 68% 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 Lyon at $2,050. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,050 in Lyon. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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