Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,599 in Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Madeira outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
Learn more

Madeira Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,599

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Madeira versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Madeira $1,599
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,361 in Madeira versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Madeira $2,361
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,124 in Madeira versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Madeira $3,124
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Madeira is roughly 33% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Madeira is 17% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.47 €10.30

$10.92 MX$204

5.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.48

$43.37 MX$810

6.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 €8.29

$11.78 MX$220

-21.65%

Cappuccino

$2.06 €1.85

$3.81 MX$71.2

-45.93%

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

$1.86 €1.67

$1.28 MX$23.96

45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.26

$0.78 MX$14.63

79.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.03

$3.17 MX$59.2

-28.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.19

$4.93 MX$92.2

-27.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.41 MX$26.28

-21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.37

$2.22 MX$41.43

-31.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.42 MX$26.48

13.38%

Eggs

$3.02 €2.71

$2.52 MX$47.14

19.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 €10.06

$7.26 MX$136

54.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 €6.92

$7.70 MX$144

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 €12.60

$12.69 MX$237

10.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.78 MX$52.0

-15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.37 MX$25.56

2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.67

$2.55 MX$47.66

-27.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.25

$2.12 MX$39.67

17.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.37

$1.94 MX$36.22

-21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.89 MX$35.24

2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.15 MX$21.42

35.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.75

$1.18 MX$22.03

-29.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 €5.52

$4.30 MX$80.3

42.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 €4.80

$9.95 MX$186

-46.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.12

$1.58 MX$29.59

-21.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.16

$2.67 MX$49.91

-9.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.04

$0.55 MX$10.34

312.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.12 €37.84

$26.62 MX$497

58.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 €3.71

$4.97 MX$92.9

-16.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.73

$3.33 MX$62.2

-75.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.47 €15.70

$5.36 MX$100

225.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.44 MX$26.98

32.64%

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

$34.7K €31.2K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

67.94%

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

$39.2K €35.2K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

67.00%

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

$137 €123

$84.8 MX$1,584

61.98%

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

$21.23 €19.08

$23.41 MX$437

-9.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.41 €37.20

$28.66 MX$535

44.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.27 €39.78

$57.1 MX$1,066

-22.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.51 €15.73

$28.91 MX$540

-39.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 €7.32

$5.14 MX$96.0

58.56%

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

$476 €428

$207 MX$3,860

130.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,168 €7,339

$3,927 MX$73.4K

107.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €65.1

$43.35 MX$810

67.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.12 €34.25

$41.44 MX$774

-8.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €83.0

$74.2 MX$1,386

24.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 €84.4

$89.3 MX$1,668

5.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 €818

$980 MX$18.3K

-7.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €651

$381 MX$7,116

90.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 €1,317

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-14.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,059

$1,075 MX$20.1K

9.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,005 €2,700

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-23.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,314 €2,079

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-62.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

11.45

-56.24%

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

Last update for Madeira: October 26, 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

Madeira

$725 45.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 47.4% $344

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 3.8% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$200 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 31.6% $63

Eating Out

Madeira

$176 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 15.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$61 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 11.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Madeira

$59 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 15% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $910 in Madeira and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Madeira vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $255, with Madeira cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

5 h behind Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

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

Madeira Playa del Carmen 6,980 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, utilities, and transport. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,399 in Madeira and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $910 in Madeira versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,599 per month in Madeira versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 37% less than in Madeira. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,599 in Madeira, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Madeira. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.