Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Massa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,587 in Massa, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Massa
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Massa Living Index
58

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

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Massa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,587

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,587 in Massa versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Massa $1,587
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,538 in Massa versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Massa $2,538
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Massa versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Massa $3,490
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Massa is roughly 32% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 €15.13

$10.92 MX$205

55.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.7 €64.9

$43.37 MX$813

67.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.90

$11.78 MX$221

13.24%

Cappuccino

$2.18 €1.94

$3.81 MX$71.4

-42.78%

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

$2.30 €2.05

$1.28 MX$24.03

79.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.78 MX$14.67

44.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 €3.90

$3.17 MX$59.3

37.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$4.93 MX$92.5

26.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.41 MX$26.35

-2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 €2.55

$2.22 MX$41.54

28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.42 MX$26.56

81.69%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.90

$2.52 MX$47.27

73.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.63 €16.63

$7.26 MX$136

156.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.97 €11.57

$7.70 MX$144

68.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.50 €15.61

$12.69 MX$238

37.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.78 MX$52.2

-20.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.37 MX$25.64

24.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.55 MX$47.80

-23.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.12 MX$39.78

21.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.94 MX$36.32

-30.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.89 MX$35.34

-30.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.15 MX$21.49

44.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.18 MX$22.09

-53.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$4.30 MX$80.5

60.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €7.03

$9.95 MX$186

-20.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.58 MX$29.67

-1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.67 MX$50.1

-28.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.55 MX$10.37

212.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.15 €37.61

$26.62 MX$499

58.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.97

$4.97 MX$93.1

12.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.33 MX$62.4

-57.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.28 €25.23

$5.36 MX$100

427.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.44 MX$27.06

39.58%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

68.00%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

59.74%

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

$236 €210

$84.8 MX$1,589

177.87%

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

$11.45 €10.22

$23.41 MX$439

-51.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.20 €24.27

$28.66 MX$537

-5.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 €48.54

$57.1 MX$1,069

-4.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.15

$28.91 MX$542

-18.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.39 €8.37

$5.14 MX$96.3

82.68%

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

$424 €378

$207 MX$3,871

105.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,480 €3,997

$3,927 MX$73.6K

14.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.3

$43.35 MX$812

102.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.99 €37.47

$41.44 MX$777

1.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 €85.2

$74.2 MX$1,390

28.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 €140

$89.3 MX$1,672

75.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 €558

$980 MX$18.4K

-36.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 €377

$381 MX$7,136

11.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 €945

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-38.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 €779

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-18.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,970 €2,650

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-24.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,006 €1,790

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-67.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,661 €1,482

$735 MX$13.8K

126.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

11.45

-69.78%

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

Last update for Massa: 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

Massa

$423 26.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 10% $42

Groceries & Markets

Massa

$333 21%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 23.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Massa

$274 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.1% $137

Eating Out

Massa

$250 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 19% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Massa

$172 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Massa

$73 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8% $5.9

Getting Around

Massa

$62 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 18.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $625 in Massa and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Massa pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Massa vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Massa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

08:46 8:46 AM

6 h behind Massa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,479

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Massa Playa del Carmen 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Massa
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,587 in Massa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Massa is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $625 in Massa versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $73 in Massa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,587 per month in Massa versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,587 in Massa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Massa. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Massa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.