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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,319 in Piestany versus $1,305 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,826 in Piestany versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,333 in Piestany versus $3,362 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Piestany is roughly 1% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Piestany 4% lower, Playa del Carmen 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.73 €6.65

$11.96 MX$203

-35.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.95 €23.18

$47.38 MX$803

-43.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 €6.89

$11.75 MX$199

-31.74%

Cappuccino

$2.02 €1.74

$4.12 MX$69.9

-50.97%

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

$1.65 €1.42

$1.40 MX$23.71

17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.01

$0.91 MX$15.46

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 €1.28

$3.21 MX$54.3

-53.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.05

$7.07 MX$120

-66.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 €0.87

$1.68 MX$28.40

-39.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 €0.82

$2.15 MX$36.43

-55.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 €0.78

$1.77 MX$30.06

-49.15%

Eggs

$2.83 €2.43

$2.82 MX$47.69

0.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.95 €7.69

$9.20 MX$156

-2.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 €5.75

$9.23 MX$156

-27.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 €9.61

$12.64 MX$214

-11.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 €1.81

$2.95 MX$49.99

-28.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.31

$1.58 MX$26.75

-3.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.79

$2.22 MX$37.65

-6.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 €3.99

$2.36 MX$40.03

96.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.08

$1.99 MX$33.76

-37.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.41

$1.98 MX$33.53

-17.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.18

$1.24 MX$21.01

11.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.57

$1.21 MX$20.52

-44.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 €4.81

$4.60 MX$78.0

21.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 €4.40

$10.52 MX$178

-51.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.76

$1.69 MX$28.66

-47.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.47

$2.77 MX$47.00

-38.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 €0.91

$0.60 MX$10.21

76.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 €2.45

$5.24 MX$88.7

-45.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €0.98

$3.65 MX$61.8

-69.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.52 €20.22

$5.78 MX$98.0

306.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.57

$1.54 MX$26.06

18.83%

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

$27.2K €23.4K

$22.8K MX$386.3K

19.44%

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

$28.7K €24.7K

$25.8K MX$437.3K

11.16%

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

$227 €195

$90.7 MX$1,536

150.45%

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

$17.07 €14.68

$25.19 MX$427

-32.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.48 €14.17

$31.75 MX$538

-48.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.77 €36.78

$68.8 MX$1,165

-37.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.53 €16.80

$29.37 MX$498

-33.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 €6.95

$4.86 MX$82.4

66.46%

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

$345 €297

$226 MX$3,823

53.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K €9,280

$4,194 MX$71.0K

157.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.41 €40.77

$47.38 MX$803

0.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 €29.89

$43.45 MX$736

-19.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 €50.9

$80.2 MX$1,359

-26.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.58 €39.19

$91.4 MX$1,548

-50.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 €576

$1,086 MX$18.4K

-38.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$541 €465

$409 MX$6,923

32.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 €857

$1,972 MX$33.4K

-49.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$795 €683

$1,281 MX$21.7K

-37.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,443 €2,961

$4,046 MX$68.5K

-14.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 €2,238

$6,704 MX$113.6K

-61.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,197 €1,029

$773 MX$13.1K

54.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

11.45

-71.18%

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

Last update for Piestany: September 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $670 in Piestany and $1,086 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piestany pays 55% 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: $27.00 in Piestany vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $278 per month, with Piestany 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

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

Piestany and Playa del Carmen differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,319 vs $1,305 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 55% higher in Piestany, 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: $670 in Piestany versus $1,086 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Piestany pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,319 per month in Piestany versus $1,305 in Playa del Carmen – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,305 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,319 in Piestany, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Piestany. 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 Piestany, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Piestany 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 1% less than in Piestany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.