Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Aegina

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,537 in Aegina, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Aegina, Greece
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Aegina
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,537
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,537 in Aegina.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Aegina $1,537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,309 in Aegina.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Aegina $2,309

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,081 in Aegina.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Aegina $3,081

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 22% less than in Aegina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Aegina is 13% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Aegina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$18.68 €16.78
-41.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$60.6 €54.4
-28.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$11.53 €10.36
2.17%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$3.66 €3.29
4.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$2.60 €2.34
-50.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$0.53 €0.48
47.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$4.15 €3.73
-23.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$4.99 €4.48
-1.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Aegina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.68 €1.51
-16.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$1.40 €1.26
58.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$2.56 €2.30
-44.53%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$4.91 €4.41
-48.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$13.17 €11.83
-44.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$9.14 €8.21
-15.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$14.59 €13.11
-13.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$2.50 €2.25
11.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$2.08 €1.87
-34.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$1.21 €1.09
110.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$1.93 €1.73
9.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$1.14 €1.02
70.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$1.29 €1.16
46.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$1.10 €0.99
4.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.84 €0.76
40.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$6.07 €5.45
-29.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$6.68 €6.00
48.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$1.89 €1.70
-16.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$2.84 €2.55
-5.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Aegina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$1.41 €1.27
-60.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$48.54 €43.60
-45.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$4.38 €3.94
13.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$1.03 €0.92
223.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$15.56 €13.98
-65.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$1.88 €1.69
-23.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$31.2K €28.0K
-33.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$25.4K €22.8K
-7.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Aegina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$265 €238
-67.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$22.91 €20.58
2.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$30.68 €27.56
-6.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Aegina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$51.4 €46.21
10.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$22.59 €20.29
27.98%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$9.09 €8.17
-43.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Aegina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$351 €316
-41.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$8,052 €7,233
-51.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Aegina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$76.7 €68.9
-43.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$40.41 €36.30
2.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$88.7 €79.7
-16.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$131 €118
-31.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Aegina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$491 €441
99.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$385 €346
-1.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$645 €579
164.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$599 €538
79.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$2,371 €2,130
66.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$2,115 €1,900
191.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Aegina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
$1,119 €1,005
-34.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.48
155.58%

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 Aegina: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Aegina
$385 1% $3.9
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Aegina
$278 9.2% $23
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Aegina
$271 34% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Aegina
$318 133% $181
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Aegina
$152 35.7% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Aegina
$70 3.4% $2.3
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Aegina
$64 26.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $491 in Aegina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aegina pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $61 in Aegina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $278 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇬🇷 Aegina
🕒 Local time
07:12 7:12 AM
14:12 2:12 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
13,552
💱 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 Aegina 10,280 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Aegina

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 Aegina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Aegina?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Aegina. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Playa del Carmen or in Aegina?
On paper, salaries run 34% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Aegina?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $491 in Aegina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Aegina?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $61 in Aegina. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Aegina?
All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,537 in Aegina – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Aegina?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,537 in Aegina, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Aegina. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Aegina?
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.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Aegina?
It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Aegina on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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