Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaga and Playa del Carmen

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Malaga is 6.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 43.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Malaga is 28.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Malaga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.84 €11.95
$11.99 MX$227
15.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.9 €54.3
$42.47 MX$803
48.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.09 €7.85
$10.47 MX$198
-13.18%
Cappuccino
$2.37 €2.04
$3.6 MX$68.2
-34.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 €2.04
$1.44 MX$27.16
64.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.63
$0.89 MX$16.79
112.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.38 €2.92
$3.09 MX$58.5
9.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 €3.81
$4.58 MX$86.6
-3.71%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Malaga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 €1.01
$1.38 MX$26.04
-14.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.33 €1.15
$1.85 MX$34.9
-28.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 €1.5
$1.57 MX$29.68
10.83%
Eggs
$2.81 €2.42
$2.55 MX$48.3
10.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.38 €13.28
$8.61 MX$163
78.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.73 €6.67
$8.54 MX$161
-9.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.32 €12.37
$10.98 MX$208
30.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.51 €2.16
$2.72 MX$51.4
-7.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 €1.69
$1.51 MX$28.57
29.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 €1.41
$1.88 MX$35.63
-12.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.37 €2.05
$2.19 MX$41.42
8.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.61
$1.87 MX$35.3
-0.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.98 €1.71
$2.19 MX$41.37
-9.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 €1.01
$1.07 MX$20.23
9.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 €0.65
$1.09 MX$20.64
-31.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.3 €5.44
$3.96 MX$74.9
59.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.79 €5
$8.86 MX$167
-34.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 €1.05
$1.72 MX$32.53
-29.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 €2.1
$2.61 MX$49.37
-6.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Malaga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.66 €1.43
$0.52 MX$9.74
219.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.94 €25.85
$26.59 MX$503
12.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.68 €4.04
$3.24 MX$61.2
44.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 €0.88
$2.38 MX$44.94
-57.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.11 €25.13
$3.11 MX$58.7
836.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.59
$1.31 MX$24.85
40.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.7K €33.4K
$30.3K MX$573K
27.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.4K €26.2K
$24K MX$453.6K
26.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malaga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$138 €119
$84.2 MX$1,592
64.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.97 €15.52
$22.14 MX$419
-18.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.71 €25.65
$30.14 MX$570
-1.43%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Malaga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.39 €41.78
$52 MX$983
-6.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.21 €14
$18.72 MX$354
-13.41%
Cinema Ticket
$10.22 €8.82
$5.07 MX$95.9
101.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Malaga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$453 €391
$200 MX$3,787
125.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K €8,711
$5,333 MX$100.8K
89.20%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Malaga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.8 €69.8
$35.74 MX$676
126.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.55 €34.15
$39.8 MX$753
-0.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88 €76
$79 MX$1,493
11.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €102
$88.4 MX$1,671
33.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Malaga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,216 €1,050
$965 MX$18.3K
26.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$879 €759
$474 MX$8,968
85.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,020 €1,744
$1,653 MX$31.2K
22.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,528 €1,319
$1,202 MX$22.7K
27.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,271 €5,414
$3,081 MX$58.3K
103.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,346 €4,616
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-29.00%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Malaga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,719 €1,484
$792 MX$15K
117.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.46
11.42
-69.70%

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

Last update for Malaga: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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