Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,871 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
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Marsa Living Index
58

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

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Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,871

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,871 per month in Marsa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Marsa $2,871
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,976 per month in Marsa vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Marsa $3,976
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in Marsa vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Marsa $5,081
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Marsa costs about 138% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Marsa sits 111% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.41 €17.31

$10.92 MX$205

77.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €76.0

$43.37 MX$813

96.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.19

$11.78 MX$221

16.04%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.40

$3.81 MX$71.4

-29.40%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.28 MX$24.03

78.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.78 MX$14.67

191.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 €4.08

$3.17 MX$59.3

44.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$4.93 MX$92.5

-48.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.41 MX$26.35

-3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.22 MX$41.54

-41.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 €3.76

$1.42 MX$26.56

197.18%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.87

$2.52 MX$47.27

71.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 €7.52

$7.26 MX$136

16.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.14

$7.70 MX$144

33.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.47 €16.48

$12.69 MX$238

45.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 €3.81

$2.78 MX$52.2

53.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.37 MX$25.64

96.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 €3.17

$2.55 MX$47.80

39.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.12 MX$39.78

54.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.94 MX$36.32

15.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.89 MX$35.34

-1.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.15 MX$21.49

97.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.18 MX$22.09

11.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.11

$4.30 MX$80.5

59.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 €7.46

$9.95 MX$186

-15.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.58 MX$29.67

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.67 MX$50.1

-12.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 €5.13

$4.97 MX$93.1

15.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.04

$3.33 MX$62.4

-31.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.56 €23.69

$5.36 MX$100

395.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.44 MX$27.06

2.08%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

80.88%

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

$38.4K €34.2K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

63.45%

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

$103 €92.2

$84.8 MX$1,589

21.92%

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

$24.97 €22.28

$23.41 MX$439

6.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.87 €38.25

$28.66 MX$537

49.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 €9.09

$5.14 MX$96.3

98.25%

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

$372 €332

$207 MX$3,871

80.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €9,953

$3,927 MX$73.6K

184.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.8

$43.35 MX$812

98.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 €35.59

$41.44 MX$777

-3.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.4

$74.2 MX$1,390

36.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 €69.1

$89.3 MX$1,672

-13.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,481 €2,213

$980 MX$18.4K

153.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 €1,718

$381 MX$7,136

405.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 €2,026

$1,708 MX$32.0K

32.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,758 €2,460

$1,075 MX$20.1K

156.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,229 €2,881

$735 MX$13.8K

339.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

11.45

-74.67%

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

Last update for Marsa: 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

Marsa

$1.9K 67.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 80.2% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Marsa

$326 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 21.7% $71

Eating Out

Marsa

$275 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 26.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsa

$171 6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 20.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Marsa

$137 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Marsa

$20 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 230% $47

Getting Around

Marsa

$17 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 194% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,481 in Marsa 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 Marsa are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Marsa versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Marsa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

6 h behind Marsa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Marsa Playa del Carmen 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Marsa
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

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

Yes – Marsa is pricier by about 138%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,307 per month in Marsa 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $2,481 in Marsa.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,871 in Marsa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $372 per month in Marsa and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Marsa at $2,871. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marsa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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