Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index
59

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

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Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,182 per month in Maia vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maia $2,182
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,718 per month in Maia vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maia $2,718
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,254 per month in Maia vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maia $3,254
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Maia costs about 81% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Maia sits 61% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 €10.16

$10.86 MX$201

5.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 €44.49

$44.21 MX$817

13.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 €7.90

$11.76 MX$217

-24.49%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$3.68 MX$68.0

-45.65%

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

$1.93 €1.71

$1.34 MX$24.79

44.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.82 MX$15.24

76.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.06 MX$56.6

-27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$4.94 MX$91.2

-18.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.47 MX$27.17

-25.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.22 MX$40.95

-23.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.48 MX$27.32

3.38%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$2.49 MX$45.99

16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$7.52 MX$139

76.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 €7.05

$7.96 MX$147

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.10

$12.57 MX$232

17.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.78 MX$51.3

-19.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.43 MX$26.37

21.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.62 MX$48.37

-20.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.14 MX$39.49

8.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.02 MX$37.38

9.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.99 MX$36.74

10.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.82

$1.14 MX$21.01

-18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.20 MX$22.18

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$4.26 MX$78.7

55.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$10.02 MX$185

-53.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.54 MX$28.41

-14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.66 MX$49.17

-7.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.53 MX$9.73

366.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$27.51 MX$508

62.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.04

$4.90 MX$90.6

-7.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.43 MX$63.5

-58.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.06

$5.38 MX$99.4

214.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.45 MX$26.76

44.83%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

52.47%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

67.15%

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

$106 €94.3

$85.4 MX$1,577

24.24%

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

$20.07 €17.85

$23.46 MX$434

-14.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.05 €33.84

$28.43 MX$525

33.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 €39.93

$62.2 MX$1,149

-27.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 €30.25

$28.68 MX$530

18.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 €7.70

$5.10 MX$94.3

69.61%

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

$439 €390

$201 MX$3,715

118.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,437 €5,726

$3,947 MX$72.9K

63.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$44.39 MX$820

150.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 €19.60

$41.35 MX$764

-46.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.5

$72.7 MX$1,344

4.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$89.6 MX$1,656

17.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €953

$979 MX$18.1K

9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 €1,168

$373 MX$6,887

252.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 €1,518

$1,681 MX$31.1K

1.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,095 MX$20.2K

13.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 €2,701

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-23.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,673 €1,488

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-72.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 €1,263

$738 MX$13.6K

92.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

11.45

-67.69%

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

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Maia

$1.3K 60.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 71.6% $941

Groceries & Markets

Maia

$259 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 0.4% $1

Eating Out

Maia

$175 8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 14.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maia

$164 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 16.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Maia

$142 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 21.2% $30

Getting Around

Maia

$66 3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 22.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Maia

$62 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 16.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,072 in Maia versus $979 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 run about 93% higher in Maia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Maia versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Maia

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

6 h behind Maia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,988

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maia Playa del Carmen 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Maia
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

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

Maia costs about 81% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,273 per month in Maia 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Maia and $44.00 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 $2,182 in Maia and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 81%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Maia at $2,182. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,182 in Maia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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