Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Abano Terme

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,585 in Abano Terme, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Abano Terme
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Abano Terme Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Abano Terme

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Abano Terme

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Abano Terme actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,585 in Abano Terme.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Abano Terme $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,447 in Abano Terme.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Abano Terme $2,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,309 in Abano Terme.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Abano Terme $3,309

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 24% less than in Abano Terme, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Abano Terme is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$15.04 €13.49

-27.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$807

$63.1 €56.6

-31.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$11.12 €9.97

5.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.9

$1.67 €1.50

128.14%

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

$1.28 MX$23.87

$2.96 €2.65

-56.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.57

$1.30 €1.16

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.85 €5.24

-45.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$5.47 €4.91

-9.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.18

$1.45 €1.30

-2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.27

$2.25 €2.02

-1.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.38

$2.95 €2.64

-51.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.96

$4.48 €4.02

-43.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$14.68 €13.17

-50.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$13.30 €11.93

-42.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$21.77 €19.53

-41.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$2.38 €2.13

16.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.47

$2.44 €2.19

-43.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.49

$2.26 €2.03

12.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.52

$2.99 €2.68

-29.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.08

$1.82 €1.63

6.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.11

$1.75 €1.57

8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.34

$1.47 €1.32

-21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.95

$0.56 €0.51

110.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$6.20 €5.56

-30.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.64 €5.96

49.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.48

$1.89 €1.70

-16.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.72

$2.57 €2.30

3.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.30

$1.64 €1.47

-66.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$495

$46.45 €41.66

-42.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.5

$5.41 €4.85

-8.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.0

$1.91 €1.71

74.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.7

$35.68 €32.00

-84.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.88

$2.03 €1.82

-29.06%

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

$20.7K MX$384.7K

$37.1K €33.2K

-44.23%

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

$23.5K MX$436.8K

$34.5K €30.9K

-31.92%

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

$84.8 MX$1,578

$189 €169

-55.02%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$9.93 €8.91

135.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$533

$31.17 €27.96

-8.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,062

$48.80 €43.77

16.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$538

$22.78 €20.43

26.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$10.48 €9.40

-50.95%

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

$207 MX$3,845

$540 €485

-61.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.1K

$10.6K €9,533

-63.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$807

$96.6 €86.7

-55.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$771

$37.56 €33.70

10.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,381

$97.0 €87.0

-23.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,661

$114 €102

-21.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$685 €615

42.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,089

$489 €439

-22.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,241 €1,113

37.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$832 €747

29.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.4K

$2,534 €2,273

55.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.6K

$1,973 €1,770

212.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,637 €2,366

-72.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.32

244.88%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Abano Terme: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Abano Terme

$489 30.9% 28.4% $108

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Abano Terme

$343 21.6% 34.5% $88

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Abano Terme

$231 14.6% 14.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Abano Terme

$230 14.5% 67.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Abano Terme

$155 9.8% 39% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Abano Terme

$70 4.4% 3.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Abano Terme

$68 4.3% 34.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $685 in Abano Terme. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abano Terme pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $63 in Abano Terme for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $343 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇹 Abano Terme

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

23:37 11:37 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,950

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Abano Terme 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Abano Terme

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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $685 in Abano Terme. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Abano Terme. 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 versus $63 in Abano Terme. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,585 in Abano Terme, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Abano Terme. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Abano Terme on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.