Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modena and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,878 in Modena, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Modena
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Modena Living Index
60

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

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Modena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,878

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,878 per month in Modena vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Modena $1,878
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $3,029 per month in Modena vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Modena $3,029
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $4,179 per month in Modena vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Modena $4,179
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Modena costs about 55% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Modena sits 40% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.83

$10.97 MX$201

102.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 €79.1

$44.85 MX$823

97.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.05

$11.92 MX$219

13.26%

Cappuccino

$1.91 €1.71

$3.80 MX$69.9

-49.74%

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

$2.96 €2.64

$1.31 MX$24.08

125.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.86 MX$15.72

91.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.93

$3.21 MX$59.0

107.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.96

$5.01 MX$92.0

10.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.46 MX$26.77

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.33 MX$42.72

9.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.44 MX$26.48

15.28%

Eggs

$4.87 €4.35

$2.46 MX$45.20

97.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.54 €18.33

$7.70 MX$141

166.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.92 €12.42

$7.89 MX$145

76.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 €18.83

$12.80 MX$235

64.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.92 MX$53.6

-8.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.42 MX$26.11

75.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$2.57 MX$47.10

25.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 €2.78

$2.14 MX$39.24

45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.95 MX$35.75

23.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.94 MX$35.55

-11.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.15 MX$21.13

18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.59

$1.22 MX$22.42

-45.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.92

$4.38 MX$80.3

51.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 €7.96

$9.85 MX$181

-9.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.54 MX$28.23

1.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.25

$2.72 MX$49.86

-7.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.52 MX$9.64

332.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.94 €34.75

$27.42 MX$503

42.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.68 €5.96

$4.91 MX$90.2

36.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 €1.31

$3.52 MX$64.7

-58.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.55 €29.05

$5.69 MX$104

472.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.54 MX$28.27

37.01%

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

$35.8K €32.0K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

68.58%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

47.12%

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

$190 €169

$83.6 MX$1,535

127.08%

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

$13.17 €11.75

$24.03 MX$441

-45.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.70 €28.29

$29.33 MX$539

8.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.4 €70.9

$64.9 MX$1,191

22.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.90 €20.44

$29.46 MX$541

-22.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.03 €9.84

$5.09 MX$93.4

116.70%

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

$565 €505

$208 MX$3,813

172.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

275.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €76.2

$44.55 MX$818

91.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.56 €37.98

$42.06 MX$772

1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 €88.0

$75.5 MX$1,387

30.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.3

$91.4 MX$1,678

14.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 €743

$986 MX$18.1K

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 €593

$385 MX$7,072

72.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 €1,535

$1,713 MX$31.5K

0.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,340 €1,195

$1,108 MX$20.4K

20.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,595 €3,208

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-10.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,144 €1,913

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-65.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,062 €1,840

$758 MX$13.9K

171.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

11.45

-71.27%

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

Last update for Modena: October 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Modena

$664 35.2%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 42% $279

Groceries & Markets

Modena

$373 19.7%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 30.2% $112

Eating Out

Modena

$304 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 32.9% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Modena

$235 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 41.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Modena

$149 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 23.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Modena

$101 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 26% $26

Getting Around

Modena

$62 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 16% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Modena versus $986 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 172% higher in Modena, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Modena versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Modena

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

7 h behind Modena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

184,973

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Modena Playa del Carmen 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Modena
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

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

Modena costs about 55% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,817 per month in Modena and $1,823 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Modena and $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,878 in Modena and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 55%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Modena at $1,878. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Modena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,215 versus $1,878 in Modena. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Modena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.