Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monza and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,021 in Monza, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Monza
Learn more

Monza Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Monza

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,021

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,021 in Monza versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Monza $2,021
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,136 in Monza versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Monza $3,136
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,252 in Monza versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Monza $4,252
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Monza is roughly 68% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monza is 48% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.91 €19.68

$10.92 MX$204

100.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.6 €81.4

$43.37 MX$810

108.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.94

$11.78 MX$220

-6.11%

Cappuccino

$1.80 €1.62

$3.81 MX$71.2

-52.76%

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

$3.61 €3.24

$1.28 MX$23.96

182.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$0.78 MX$14.63

65.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.97

$3.17 MX$59.2

74.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 €5.49

$4.93 MX$92.2

23.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.41 MX$26.28

2.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.22 MX$41.43

1.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.18

$1.42 MX$26.48

149.30%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.05

$2.52 MX$47.14

34.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.77 €20.46

$7.26 MX$136

213.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 €12.52

$7.70 MX$144

81.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.69 €20.39

$12.69 MX$237

78.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.78 MX$52.0

-2.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.37 MX$25.56

29.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.93

$2.55 MX$47.66

27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.93

$2.12 MX$39.67

53.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.89

$1.94 MX$36.22

8.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.89 MX$35.24

4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.15 MX$21.42

57.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.18 MX$22.03

-44.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.97

$4.30 MX$80.3

54.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.99

$9.95 MX$186

-44.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.58 MX$29.59

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.99

$2.67 MX$49.91

-17.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.65

$0.55 MX$10.34

436.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €59.3

$26.62 MX$497

147.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 €7.09

$4.97 MX$92.9

58.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$3.33 MX$62.2

-63.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.21 €30.74

$5.36 MX$100

538.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.44 MX$26.98

40.28%

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

$36.6K €32.9K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

77.01%

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

$35.7K €32.1K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

52.28%

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

$195 €175

$84.8 MX$1,584

129.96%

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

$10.31 €9.27

$23.41 MX$437

-55.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.59 €24.79

$28.66 MX$535

-3.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.47

$57.1 MX$1,066

-17.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.42 €34.52

$28.91 MX$540

32.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 €11.55

$5.14 MX$96.0

150.19%

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

$877 €788

$207 MX$3,860

324.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.9K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

378.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 €81.7

$43.35 MX$810

109.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.37 €40.76

$41.44 MX$774

9.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €99.0

$74.2 MX$1,386

48.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €146

$89.3 MX$1,668

82.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 €918

$980 MX$18.3K

4.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €696

$381 MX$7,116

103.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,725

$1,708 MX$31.9K

12.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,162

$1,075 MX$20.1K

20.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,300 €3,863

$3,943 MX$73.7K

9.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,927 €2,630

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-52.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,951 €1,753

$735 MX$13.7K

165.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

11.45

-68.38%

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

Last update for Monza: October 25, 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

Monza

$775 38.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 50.8% $394

Groceries & Markets

Monza

$375 18.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 32% $120

Eating Out

Monza

$290 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 30.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monza

$233 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 41.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Monza

$184 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 39.3% $72

Getting Around

Monza

$92 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 45% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Monza

$73 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7.8% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,022 in Monza and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monza pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Monza vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Monza

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

03:19 3:19 AM

6 h behind Monza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,204

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monza Playa del Carmen 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Monza
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Monza. 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 in Monza is about 2.7 times higher, 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: $1,022 in Monza versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $877 in Monza versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Monza. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,021 in Monza, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Monza. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Monza. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.