Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,145 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index
58

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

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Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,145

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,145 per month in Mortsel vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mortsel $2,145
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,187 per month in Mortsel vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mortsel $3,187
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,229 per month in Mortsel vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mortsel $4,229
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Mortsel costs about 78% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mortsel sits 58% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.27

$10.92 MX$203

107.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 €86.3

$43.37 MX$808

121.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.14

$11.78 MX$219

15.03%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.81

$3.81 MX$71.0

11.55%

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

$3.47 €3.11

$1.28 MX$23.89

171.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.57

$0.78 MX$14.58

267.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.97

$3.17 MX$59.0

75.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.11

$4.93 MX$91.9

15.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.41 MX$26.20

-4.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 €2.58

$2.22 MX$41.30

29.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.42 MX$26.40

57.04%

Eggs

$3.94 €3.53

$2.52 MX$47.00

56.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 €14.79

$7.26 MX$135

127.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 €10.84

$7.70 MX$143

57.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.81 €20.44

$12.69 MX$236

79.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.78 MX$51.9

0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.37 MX$25.49

72.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.55 MX$47.52

1.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.55

$2.12 MX$39.55

34.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.94 MX$36.11

12.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.89 MX$35.13

-2.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.15 MX$21.36

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.18 MX$21.96

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 €11.94

$4.30 MX$80.0

210.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.64 €7.74

$9.95 MX$185

-13.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.58 MX$29.50

25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.67 MX$49.76

-13.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.72

$0.55 MX$10.31

450.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 €50.4

$26.62 MX$496

111.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.88

$4.97 MX$92.6

9.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.47

$3.33 MX$62.1

-17.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.23 €40.53

$5.36 MX$99.8

743.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.89

$1.44 MX$26.90

45.83%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

71.79%

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

$36.4K €32.6K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

55.09%

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

$220 €197

$84.8 MX$1,580

159.75%

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

$20.70 €18.55

$23.41 MX$436

-11.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.54 €42.60

$28.66 MX$534

65.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.18 €36.90

$57.1 MX$1,063

-27.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 €18.28

$28.91 MX$539

-29.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 €14.17

$5.14 MX$95.7

207.59%

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

$569 €510

$207 MX$3,848

175.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K €19.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

448.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$43.35 MX$808

162.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.86

$41.44 MX$772

15.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.5

$74.2 MX$1,382

43.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €133

$89.3 MX$1,663

66.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €834

$980 MX$18.2K

-4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 €729

$381 MX$7,095

113.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 €1,236

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-19.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,026

$1,075 MX$20.0K

6.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,305 €3,857

$3,943 MX$73.5K

9.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,739 €2,454

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-55.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,361 €2,115

$735 MX$13.7K

221.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

11.45

-69.43%

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

Last update for Mortsel: October 24, 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

Mortsel

$813 37.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 53.2% $432

Groceries & Markets

Mortsel

$359 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29% $104

Eating Out

Mortsel

$337 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 40% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mortsel

$288 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 52.6% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Mortsel

$187 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 40.4% $76

Getting Around

Mortsel

$88 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 42.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Mortsel

$73 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 7.5% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $931 in Mortsel 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 Mortsel are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Mortsel versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

20:03 8:03 PM

6 h behind Mortsel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,525

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Mortsel Playa del Carmen 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mortsel
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

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

Yes – Mortsel is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,218 per month in Mortsel and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $931 in Mortsel and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Mortsel, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Mortsel and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap 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 Mortsel at $2,145. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mortsel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,145 in Mortsel. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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