Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melissia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,449 in Melissia, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Melissia
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Melissia Living Index
58

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

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Melissia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,449

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,449 in Melissia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Melissia $1,449
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Melissia versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Melissia $2,216
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Melissia versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Melissia $2,983
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Melissia is roughly 20% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melissia is 6% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 €9.96

$10.92 MX$205

1.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 €51.8

$43.37 MX$814

33.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.82 €7.90

$11.78 MX$221

-25.13%

Cappuccino

$4.19 €3.75

$3.81 MX$71.5

9.97%

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

$2.34 €2.09

$1.28 MX$24.07

82.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$0.78 MX$14.70

-24.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.97

$3.17 MX$59.5

39.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 €4.38

$4.93 MX$92.7

-0.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.41 MX$26.40

28.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.30

$2.22 MX$41.62

-34.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$1.42 MX$26.61

88.03%

Eggs

$5.27 €4.72

$2.52 MX$47.36

109.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 €10.82

$7.26 MX$136

66.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.06 €9.01

$7.70 MX$144

30.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.36 €17.34

$12.69 MX$238

52.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.78 MX$52.3

-20.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.37 MX$25.68

38.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 €1.21

$2.55 MX$47.89

-47.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.12 MX$39.86

0.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.94 MX$36.39

-40.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.89 MX$35.41

-42.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.15 MX$21.53

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.18 MX$22.13

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.06

$4.30 MX$80.6

31.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 €8.89

$9.95 MX$187

-0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.58 MX$29.73

31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.67 MX$50.1

-10.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.55 MX$10.39

149.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.8 €49.09

$26.62 MX$500

105.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 €3.99

$4.97 MX$93.3

-10.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$3.33 MX$62.5

-68.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.50 €14.78

$5.36 MX$101

207.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.44 MX$27.11

53.47%

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

$27.6K €24.7K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

33.36%

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

$24.4K €21.8K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

3.87%

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

$199 €178

$84.8 MX$1,592

135.00%

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

$25.51 €22.85

$23.41 MX$439

8.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.69 €25.69

$28.66 MX$538

0.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 €47.49

$57.1 MX$1,071

-7.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.20 €19.88

$28.91 MX$543

-23.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.56 €8.56

$5.14 MX$96.5

85.99%

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

$466 €417

$207 MX$3,878

125.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,741 €4,246

$3,927 MX$73.7K

20.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 €80.9

$43.35 MX$814

108.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.22 €35.13

$41.44 MX$778

-5.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.1

$74.2 MX$1,393

35.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$89.3 MX$1,676

39.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 €413

$980 MX$18.4K

-52.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 €339

$381 MX$7,150

-0.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 €654

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-57.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 €552

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-42.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,471 €2,213

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-37.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,934 €1,733

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-68.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,368 €1,225

$735 MX$13.8K

86.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.45

-60.87%

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

Last update for Melissia: 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

Melissia

$379 26.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 0.5% $2

Groceries & Markets

Melissia

$306 21.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 16.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melissia

$253 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 46% $117

Eating Out

Melissia

$209 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 3.4% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Melissia

$160 11%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 30% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Melissia

$72 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 6.7% $4.8

Getting Around

Melissia

$70 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 27.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $461 in Melissia and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melissia pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Melissia vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Melissia

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

19:40 7:40 PM

7 h behind Melissia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,588

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melissia Playa del Carmen 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Melissia
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Melissia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Melissia, 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: $461 in Melissia versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,449 per month in Melissia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 51% less than in Melissia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Melissia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.