Cost of Living Comparison Between Ninove and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Ninove and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,051 in Ninove versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,174 in Ninove versus $2,126 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,298 in Ninove versus $2,980 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Ninove is roughly 61% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ninove is 53% above, Playa del Carmen is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.58 €20.32

$11.87 MX$204

98.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 €104

$42.90 MX$736

181.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.95 €11.16

$10.65 MX$183

21.60%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.57

$3.45 MX$59.2

20.00%

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

$3.31 €2.85

$1.50 MX$25.81

120.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.69

$0.95 MX$16.28

228.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 €4.44

$3.03 MX$51.9

69.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 €4.00

$4.61 MX$79.1

0.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.13

$1.38 MX$23.61

-5.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.81

$1.85 MX$31.70

13.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 €2.38

$1.61 MX$27.65

71.43%

Eggs

$4.16 €3.59

$2.59 MX$44.51

60.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.11 €15.61

$8.26 MX$142

119.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 €10.03

$8.37 MX$144

39.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.12 €18.20

$10.66 MX$183

98.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.44

$2.63 MX$45.12

7.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.03

$1.49 MX$25.53

57.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €1.96

$1.92 MX$32.94

18.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 €2.95

$2.09 MX$35.81

63.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.04

$1.86 MX$31.88

27.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 €2.04

$2.26 MX$38.81

4.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.26

$1.06 MX$18.23

37.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.72

$1.09 MX$18.67

-23.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.54 €10.80

$4.15 MX$71.2

202.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 €7.76

$10.39 MX$178

-13.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.26

$1.72 MX$29.59

-15.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.65

$2.61 MX$44.85

-26.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 €2.53

$0.54 MX$9.30

442.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 €48.67

$26.94 MX$462

109.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €4.85

$3.13 MX$53.7

79.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.52 €2.17

$2.51 MX$43.09

0.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.72 €39.39

$3.15 MX$54.1

1351.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.61

$1.27 MX$21.88

47.24%

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

$36.3K €31.3K

$30.4K MX$521.3K

19.53%

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

$33.5K €28.9K

$23.6K MX$404.5K

42.28%

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

$201 €174

$83.0 MX$1,425

142.73%

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

$25.49 €21.96

$22.71 MX$390

12.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €43.74

$29.46 MX$506

72.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 €33.87

$51.0 MX$875

-22.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.00 €14.65

$18.33 MX$315

-7.26%

Cinema Ticket

$14.01 €12.07

$4.93 MX$84.5

184.18%

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

$659 €568

$197 MX$3,386

233.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €11.8K

$5,280 MX$90.6K

158.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 €68.6

$36.90 MX$633

115.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.93 €43.02

$39.89 MX$685

25.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €98.5

$80.0 MX$1,373

42.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$232 €200

$89.5 MX$1,536

159.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 €791

$956 MX$16.4K

-3.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 €640

$477 MX$8,189

55.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,146

$1,646 MX$28.3K

-19.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 €944

$1,225 MX$21.0K

-10.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,566 €3,073

$3,918 MX$67.2K

-8.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,590 €2,231

$6,459 MX$110.9K

-59.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

11.42

-71.37%

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

Last update for Ninove: June 7, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $918 in Ninove and $956 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $121 in Ninove vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $250 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Ninove. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,076 in Ninove and $1,906 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $918 in Ninove versus $956 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Ninove. 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 $121 in Ninove. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,051 in Ninove, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ninove. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,271 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ninove 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 Ninove. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.