Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Adra

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,437 in Adra, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Adra outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Adra, Spain
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Adra
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,437
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Adra

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 Adra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,437 in Adra, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Adra $1,437

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,069 in Adra, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Adra $2,069

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,701 in Adra, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Adra $2,701

Playa del Carmen is about 16% cheaper than Adra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Adra is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Adra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$14.91 €13.39
-26.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$44.26 €39.76
-2.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$9.97 €8.95
18.15%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$2.40 €2.15
58.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$2.21 €1.98
-42.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$1.86 €1.67
-58.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$3.44 €3.09
-7.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$2.74 €2.46
79.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Adra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.11 €1.00
27.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$1.34 €1.21
65.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$0.80 €0.72
77.50%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$2.75 €2.47
-8.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$12.24 €10.99
-40.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$2.87 €2.57
168.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$11.00 €9.88
15.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$1.98 €1.78
40.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.10 €0.98
24.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$1.33 €1.19
91.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$1.98 €1.78
7.07%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$1.07 €0.96
81.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$1.16 €1.04
62.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$1.29 €1.16
-10.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.44 €0.40
168.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$6.07 €5.46
-29.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$4.44 €3.99
124.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$0.64 €0.58
146.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$1.32 €1.18
102.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Adra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$1.67 €1.50
-67.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$32.13 €28.86
-17.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$4.01 €3.60
23.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$2.97 €2.67
12.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$32.98 €29.63
-83.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$1.68 €1.51
-14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$19.1K €17.2K
8.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$29.1K €26.1K
-19.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Adra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$112 €101
-24.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$9.19 €8.25
154.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$22.35 €20.08
28.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Adra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$44.84 €40.28
27.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$15.64 €14.05
84.85%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$9.24 €8.30
-44.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Adra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$494 €444
-58.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$8,301 €7,456
-52.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Adra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$39.96 €35.89
8.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$33.75 €30.31
22.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$50.0 €44.91
48.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$67.1 €60.3
32.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Adra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$877 €788
11.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$684 €614
-44.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$1,357 €1,219
25.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$995 €894
8.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$3,296 €2,961
19.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$2,224 €1,998
176.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Adra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
$2,236 €2,008
-67.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2.9
294.83%

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 Adra: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Adra
$684 79.6% $303
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Adra
$185 27.3% $70
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Adra
$217 7.2% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Adra
$144 5.2% $7.1
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Adra
$86 23.1% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Adra
$63 6% $4
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Adra
$58 14.3% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $877 in Adra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Adra are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Adra. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $185 in Adra – so Adra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇪🇸 Adra
🕒 Local time
14:59 2:59 PM
20:59 8:59 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
25,195
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Adra 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Adra

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 Adra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Adra?
Adra costs about 19% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Adra?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,155 in Adra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Adra?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Adra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $877 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Adra?
Public transport costs about 17% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Adra?
Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in Adra – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Adra?
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 $1,437 in Adra. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Adra?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Adra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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