Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maspalomas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,910 in Maspalomas, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Maspalomas, Spain
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Maspalomas
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,910
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,910 per month in Maspalomas vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Maspalomas $1,910
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,575 per month in Maspalomas vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Maspalomas $2,575
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,240 per month in Maspalomas vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Maspalomas $3,240
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Maspalomas costs about 59% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Maspalomas sits 40% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Maspalomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.54 €12.12
$10.92 MX$205
23.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.1 €65.5
$43.37 MX$814
68.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.51 €9.42
$11.78 MX$221
-10.78%
Cappuccino
$2.49 €2.23
$3.81 MX$71.5
-34.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 €1.87
$1.28 MX$24.07
63.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 €1.46
$0.78 MX$14.70
108.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.14 €2.82
$3.17 MX$59.5
-0.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 €3.32
$4.93 MX$92.7
-24.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Maspalomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 €0.99
$1.41 MX$26.40
-21.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 €1.54
$2.22 MX$41.62
-22.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 €1.47
$1.42 MX$26.61
15.49%
Eggs
$3.62 €3.24
$2.52 MX$47.36
43.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.28 €11.00
$7.26 MX$136
69.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.07 €8.12
$7.70 MX$144
17.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.72 €15.87
$12.69 MX$238
39.64%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.34
$2.78 MX$52.3
-6.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$1.37 MX$25.68
43.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.55 MX$47.89
-10.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.70 €1.52
$2.12 MX$39.86
-19.81%
Potato (1kg)
$2.31 €2.07
$1.94 MX$36.39
19.07%
Onion (1kg)
$2.37 €2.12
$1.89 MX$35.41
25.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.15 MX$21.53
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 €0.75
$1.18 MX$22.13
-28.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.36 €3.90
$4.30 MX$80.6
1.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.74 €6.03
$9.95 MX$187
-32.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 €1.57
$1.58 MX$29.73
10.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 €2.40
$2.67 MX$50.1
0.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Maspalomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.29 €2.94
$0.55 MX$10.39
498.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.6 €49.83
$26.62 MX$500
109.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.41 €3.05
$4.97 MX$93.3
-31.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.23 €1.99
$3.33 MX$62.5
-33.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.05 €25.12
$5.36 MX$101
423.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 €1.51
$1.44 MX$27.11
17.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.4K €27.3K
$20.7K MX$388.0K
47.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.6K
$23.5K MX$440.5K
36.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maspalomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 €103
$84.8 MX$1,592
35.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.46 €14.74
$23.41 MX$439
-29.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.67 €24.78
$28.66 MX$538
-3.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Maspalomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$57.1 MX$1,071
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$543
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 €7.80
$5.14 MX$96.5
69.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Maspalomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$473 €424
$207 MX$3,878
129.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,604 €5,914
$3,927 MX$73.7K
68.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Maspalomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.8 €76.0
$43.35 MX$814
95.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.06 €19.76
$41.44 MX$778
-46.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.3 €81.7
$74.2 MX$1,393
22.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 €70.8
$89.3 MX$1,676
-11.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Maspalomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 €1,251
$980 MX$18.4K
42.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,037 €929
$381 MX$7,150
172.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,366 €1,224
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-20.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,129 €1,011
$1,075 MX$20.2K
5.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,071 €5,437
$3,943 MX$74.0K
53.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,063 €4,535
$6,158 MX$115.6K
-17.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Maspalomas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,429 €1,280
$735 MX$13.8K
94.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.15
11.45
-72.49%

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

Last update for Maspalomas: 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
Maspalomas
$1K
Playa del Carmen
$381 63.3% $656
Groceries & Markets
Maspalomas
$281
Playa del Carmen
$255 9.3% $26
Eating Out
Maspalomas
$208
Playa del Carmen
$202 2.6% $5.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maspalomas
$159
Playa del Carmen
$137 13.9% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Maspalomas
$125
Playa del Carmen
$112 10.4% $13
Getting Around
Maspalomas
$83
Playa del Carmen
$50 39.5% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Maspalomas
$17 *
Playa del Carmen
$67 286% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,397 in Maspalomas 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 run about 95% higher in Maspalomas. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Maspalomas versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Maspalomas
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
00:09 12:09 AM
19:09 7:09 PM
5 h behind Maspalomas
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
33,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Maspalomas Playa del Carmen 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Maspalomas
  • 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
Maspalomas vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Maspalomas or Playa del Carmen?
Maspalomas costs about 59% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Maspalomas and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,865 per month in Maspalomas and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Maspalomas or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,397 in Maspalomas.
How expensive is transport in Maspalomas compared to Playa del Carmen?
Public transport costs about 52% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Maspalomas and in Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $473 per month in Maspalomas and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Maspalomas or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Maspalomas at $1,910. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maspalomas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to Maspalomas or to Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maspalomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Maspalomas vs other spots: cost of living compared

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