Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montpellier and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,945 in Montpellier, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index
59

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

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Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,945

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,945 in Montpellier versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Montpellier $1,945
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,919 in Montpellier versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Montpellier $2,919
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,892 in Montpellier versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Montpellier $3,892
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Montpellier is roughly 61% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montpellier is 44% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.68

$10.76 MX$199

53.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €63.9

$43.03 MX$795

66.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 €14.16

$11.79 MX$218

35.03%

Cappuccino

$3.64 €3.23

$3.87 MX$71.4

-5.94%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.37 MX$25.29

118.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.84 MX$15.44

141.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.11

$3.10 MX$57.3

85.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$5.07 MX$93.6

-12.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.44 MX$26.55

-2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.23 MX$41.23

-2.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.47 MX$27.17

79.59%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.33

$2.53 MX$46.71

47.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.65 €16.59

$7.30 MX$135

155.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 €12.30

$7.86 MX$145

75.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.28 €21.60

$12.79 MX$236

89.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 €2.62

$2.90 MX$53.6

1.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.44 MX$26.53

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.55 MX$47.07

14.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.06 MX$38.03

86.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.00 MX$36.97

16.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.01 MX$37.07

47.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.19 MX$22.02

46.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.26 MX$23.23

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.68 €12.16

$4.40 MX$81.4

210.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.47 €6.64

$9.59 MX$177

-22.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.81 €3.38

$1.59 MX$29.41

139.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.47

$2.81 MX$51.9

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.57 MX$10.47

249.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.07 €0.96

$27.82 MX$514

-96.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 €4.42

$4.98 MX$92.1

-0.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.52

$3.50 MX$64.6

-51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.84 €29.22

$5.40 MX$99.8

508.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.47 MX$27.08

44.22%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

62.39%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

47.50%

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

$224 €200

$84.2 MX$1,556

166.44%

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

$16.56 €14.73

$23.99 MX$443

-30.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 €28.98

$29.02 MX$536

12.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.70 €29.98

$63.0 MX$1,164

-46.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.18 €12.61

$29.14 MX$539

-51.34%

Cinema Ticket

$13.68 €12.16

$4.94 MX$91.3

176.92%

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

$735 €654

$204 MX$3,763

261.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.5K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

228.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 €78.8

$43.60 MX$806

103.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.5 €58.3

$43.12 MX$797

51.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.3

$75.8 MX$1,400

35.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €158

$88.6 MX$1,637

100.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 €798

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$374 MX$6,911

93.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 €1,317

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-13.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 €1,029

$1,106 MX$20.4K

4.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,927 €4,382

$3,944 MX$72.9K

24.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,636 €3,234

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-41.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,738 €2,435

$754 MX$13.9K

262.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

11.45

-66.72%

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

Last update for Montpellier: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montpellier

$725 37.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 48.4% $351

Groceries & Markets

Montpellier

$386 19.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 33.1% $128

Eating Out

Montpellier

$281 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 28% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montpellier

$274 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 49.8% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Montpellier

$196 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 42.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Montpellier

$61 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 19.3% $12

Getting Around

Montpellier

$23 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 133% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $897 in Montpellier and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montpellier pays 263% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $72.0 in Montpellier vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

7 h behind Montpellier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,454

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montpellier Playa del Carmen 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montpellier
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 263% higher in Montpellier, 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: $897 in Montpellier versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Montpellier. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $72.0 in Montpellier. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,945 in Montpellier, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Montpellier. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montpellier, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montpellier and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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