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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,016 in Mgarr versus $1,256 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,052 in Mgarr versus $2,137 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,087 in Mgarr versus $3,017 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Mgarr is roughly 61% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mgarr is 51% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.50 €17.96

$11.99 MX$209

70.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 €60.0

$41.78 MX$728

64.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.61 €10.17

$10.75 MX$187

8.00%

Cappuccino

$2.74 €2.40

$3.50 MX$60.9

-21.71%

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

$2.71 €2.37

$1.45 MX$25.22

86.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.81

$0.88 MX$15.41

135.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.91 €4.30

$2.95 MX$51.3

66.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.36

$4.51 MX$78.6

10.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.20

$1.43 MX$24.94

-4.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.35

$1.84 MX$31.99

-16.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 €3.05

$1.57 MX$27.31

121.66%

Eggs

$3.60 €3.15

$2.51 MX$43.74

43.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 €8.57

$8.28 MX$144

18.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 €9.51

$8.43 MX$147

28.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 €12.05

$10.68 MX$186

28.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 €2.94

$2.61 MX$45.43

28.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.80

$1.44 MX$25.04

42.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.42

$1.96 MX$34.16

40.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 €2.91

$2.09 MX$36.47

59.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.56

$1.85 MX$32.24

-3.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 €2.47

$2.17 MX$37.74

29.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.62

$1.03 MX$17.96

78.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.07

$1.07 MX$18.70

14.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.53 €5.72

$4.10 MX$71.4

59.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.00 €5.25

$10.17 MX$177

-41.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.09

$1.68 MX$29.17

42.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.56

$2.53 MX$43.98

-29.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 €2.38

$0.51 MX$8.87

433.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.04 MX$453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 €7.07

$3.23 MX$56.3

150.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 €1.70

$2.41 MX$41.88

-19.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.26 €30.00

$3.23 MX$56.2

960.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.33

$1.32 MX$23.00

15.15%

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

$26.5K €23.2K

$29.7K MX$517.1K

-10.81%

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

$40.4K €35.4K

$23.7K MX$412.0K

70.81%

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

$167 €146

$82.0 MX$1,428

103.41%

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

$29.24 €25.61

$22.95 MX$400

27.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 €29.42

$30.11 MX$524

11.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 €57.3

$52.0 MX$905

25.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.22 €20.33

$18.53 MX$323

25.31%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 €13.37

$4.98 MX$86.6

206.63%

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

$263 €230

$197 MX$3,438

33.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.0K

$5,336 MX$92.9K

134.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €88.0

$35.60 MX$620

182.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.29 €34.41

$40.33 MX$702

-2.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 €128

$78.8 MX$1,371

85.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €89.4

$88.9 MX$1,549

14.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 €1,002

$947 MX$16.5K

20.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 €836

$474 MX$8,254

101.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,962 €1,718

$1,644 MX$28.6K

19.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 €1,299

$1,211 MX$21.1K

22.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,156 €3,640

$4,056 MX$70.6K

2.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,953 €2,587

$6,470 MX$112.7K

-54.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 MX$11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.43

11.42

-52.45%

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

Last update for Mgarr: July 14, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,144 in Mgarr and $947 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Mgarr vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $249 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Mgarr. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,024 in Mgarr and $1,884 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,144 in Mgarr versus $947 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $263 in Mgarr versus $197 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $69.0 in Mgarr. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,256 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,016 in Mgarr, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mgarr. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,256 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Mgarr. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.