Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg, Netherlands and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,318 in Middelburg, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index
58

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

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Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,318

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,318 per month in Middelburg vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Middelburg $2,318
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,367 per month in Middelburg vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Middelburg $3,367
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,417 per month in Middelburg vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Middelburg $4,417
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Middelburg costs about 92% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Middelburg sits 70% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.41 €12.01

$10.92 MX$205

22.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.7

$43.37 MX$814

105.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 €10.86

$11.78 MX$221

2.97%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.64

$3.81 MX$71.5

6.56%

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

$3.41 €3.05

$1.28 MX$24.07

166.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$0.78 MX$14.70

324.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 €6.26

$3.17 MX$59.5

120.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.07

$4.93 MX$92.7

37.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.41 MX$26.40

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.22 MX$41.62

2.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.42 MX$26.61

39.44%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.13

$2.52 MX$47.36

83.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 €10.95

$7.26 MX$136

68.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 €11.66

$7.70 MX$144

69.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 €17.20

$12.69 MX$238

51.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.78 MX$52.3

-7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.37 MX$25.68

59.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.55 MX$47.89

-20.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 €3.30

$2.12 MX$39.86

73.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.94 MX$36.39

-31.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.89 MX$35.41

-39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.15 MX$21.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$1.18 MX$22.13

-19.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 €10.62

$4.30 MX$80.6

175.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 €5.40

$9.95 MX$187

-39.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.58 MX$29.73

-15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.69

$2.67 MX$50.1

-29.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.72 €4.23

$4.97 MX$93.3

-5.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 €2.98

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.38 €29.90

$5.36 MX$101

522.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.44 MX$27.11

61.81%

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

$41.5K €37.2K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

100.84%

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

$38.8K €34.7K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

65.14%

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

$148 €133

$84.8 MX$1,592

74.57%

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

$28.05 €25.12

$23.41 MX$439

19.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 €48.67

$28.66 MX$538

89.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.51 €39.86

$57.1 MX$1,071

-21.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.17 €12.69

$28.91 MX$543

-50.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.88

$5.14 MX$96.5

93.00%

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

$2,582 €2,312

$207 MX$3,878

1149.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

201.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.7 €85.7

$43.35 MX$814

120.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 €38.73

$41.44 MX$778

4.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.2

$74.2 MX$1,393

41.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$89.3 MX$1,676

51.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 €1,270

$980 MX$18.4K

44.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 €1,114

$381 MX$7,150

226.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,001 €1,792

$1,708 MX$32.1K

17.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,864 €1,670

$1,075 MX$20.2K

73.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 €3,712

$735 MX$13.8K

464.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

11.45

-70.31%

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

Last update for Middelburg: October 27, 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

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 69.4% $863

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$319 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 20.2% $64

Eating Out

Middelburg

$268 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 24.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$230 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 40.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$171 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$64 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 4.6% $3

Getting Around

Middelburg

$21 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 136% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,418 in Middelburg 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 Middelburg are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Middelburg versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

22:23 10:23 PM

6 h behind Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,345

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

Middelburg Playa del Carmen 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
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

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

Yes – Middelburg is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,477 per month in Middelburg 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 $1,418 in Middelburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,318 in Middelburg and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 48% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,582 per month in Middelburg 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 Middelburg at $2,318. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middelburg 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, Middelburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.