Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palma de Mallorca and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,216 in Palma de Mallorca, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Palma de Mallorca
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Palma de Mallorca Living Index
59

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

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Palma de Mallorca

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,216

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,216 in Palma de Mallorca versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Palma de Mallorca $2,216
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,278 in Palma de Mallorca versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Palma de Mallorca $3,278
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Palma de Mallorca versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Palma de Mallorca $4,341
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Palma de Mallorca is roughly 83% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palma de Mallorca is 64% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.70 €16.63

$10.76 MX$199

73.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 €59.4

$43.03 MX$795

55.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$11.79 MX$218

14.42%

Cappuccino

$3.16 €2.81

$3.87 MX$71.4

-18.35%

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

$2.59 €2.31

$1.37 MX$25.29

89.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.34

$0.84 MX$15.44

214.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 €4.07

$3.10 MX$57.3

47.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.43

$5.07 MX$93.6

-23.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.44 MX$26.55

-5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.23 MX$41.23

-49.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.47 MX$27.17

9.52%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.04

$2.53 MX$46.71

35.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 €13.11

$7.30 MX$135

102.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 €7.71

$7.86 MX$145

10.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.05 €14.28

$12.79 MX$236

25.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.90 MX$53.6

-13.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.44 MX$26.53

40.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$2.55 MX$47.07

-34.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.06 MX$38.03

36.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$2.00 MX$36.97

-4.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.01 MX$37.07

6.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.19 MX$22.02

8.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$1.26 MX$23.23

-45.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.00

$4.40 MX$81.4

53.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.66 €5.04

$9.59 MX$177

-40.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.59 MX$29.41

-13.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.81 MX$51.9

-30.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.95

$0.57 MX$10.47

285.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.00 €36.46

$27.82 MX$514

47.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 €4.46

$4.98 MX$92.1

0.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.16

$3.50 MX$64.6

-62.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.14 €21.47

$5.40 MX$99.8

347.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.47 MX$27.08

22.45%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

66.50%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

29.67%

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

$250 €222

$84.2 MX$1,556

196.46%

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

$23.67 €21.05

$23.99 MX$443

-1.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.21 €37.54

$29.02 MX$536

45.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 €54.4

$63.0 MX$1,164

-2.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.31 €24.29

$29.14 MX$539

-6.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.56 €8.50

$4.94 MX$91.3

93.52%

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

$604 €537

$204 MX$3,763

196.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,179

$3,941 MX$72.8K

161.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 €64.1

$43.60 MX$806

65.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 €48.11

$43.12 MX$797

25.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 €86.6

$75.8 MX$1,400

28.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$88.6 MX$1,637

48.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 €1,328

$1,008 MX$18.6K

48.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$374 MX$6,911

180.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,340 €2,082

$1,708 MX$31.6K

36.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,787 €1,589

$1,106 MX$20.4K

61.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,823 €6,068

$3,944 MX$72.9K

72.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,787 €3,368

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-38.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,046 €1,820

$754 MX$13.9K

171.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.07

11.45

-73.19%

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

Last update for Palma de Mallorca: 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

Palma de Mallorca

$1K 47.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 64.3% $674

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palma de Mallorca

$316 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 56.5% $178

Eating Out

Palma de Mallorca

$280 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 27.6% $77

Groceries & Markets

Palma de Mallorca

$272 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 4.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Palma de Mallorca

$160 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 29.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Palma de Mallorca

$80 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 9.2% $7.4

Getting Around

Palma de Mallorca

$61 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 14.3% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,494 in Palma de Mallorca and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palma de Mallorca pays 171% 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: $67.0 in Palma de Mallorca vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Palma de Mallorca

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

11:45 11:45 AM

7 h behind Palma de Mallorca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,350

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 →

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Between locations

Palma de Mallorca Playa del Carmen 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Palma de Mallorca
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

Palma de Mallorca vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 171% higher in Palma de Mallorca, 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: $1,494 in Palma de Mallorca versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $604 in Palma de Mallorca versus $204 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 5% higher in Palma de Mallorca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,216 in Palma de Mallorca, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Palma de Mallorca. 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 Palma de Mallorca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Palma de Mallorca 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 83% less than in Palma de Mallorca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.