Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Albenga

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,823 in Albenga, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Albenga
Learn more

Albenga Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Albenga

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,823 in Albenga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Albenga $1,823

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,716 in Albenga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Albenga $2,716

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,608 in Albenga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Albenga $3,608

Playa del Carmen is about 34% cheaper than Albenga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Albenga is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$15.05 €13.48

-27.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$57.0 €51.0

-23.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$13.45 €12.05

-12.42%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.06 €1.85

84.95%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$3.64 €3.26

-64.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.10 €0.98

-29.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$5.51 €4.93

-42.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.24 €5.59

-20.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.69 €1.51

-16.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$3.04 €2.73

-26.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.63 €2.35

-46.01%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.90 €3.50

-35.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$23.16 €20.74

-68.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$11.22 €10.05

-31.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$22.42 €20.08

-43.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.19 €1.96

26.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.36 €2.11

-41.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.35 €3.00

-23.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.23 €1.99

-4.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.38 €2.13

-18.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.03 €1.82

-6.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.77 €1.59

-35.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.61 €0.54

93.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$5.65 €5.06

-23.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.39 €8.41

5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.94 €1.74

-18.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.50 €2.24

6.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.99 €1.78

-72.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$41.07 €36.79

-35.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$7.69 €6.89

-35.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$2.26 €2.02

47.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$65.5 €58.7

-91.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$2.07 €1.86

-30.43%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$36.8K €33.0K

-43.86%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$36.9K €33.1K

-36.46%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$251 €224

-66.17%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.34 €9.26

126.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$28.22 €25.28

1.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$61.4 €55.0

-7.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$23.51 €21.06

22.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$7.72 €6.92

-33.42%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$495 €443

-58.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$19.0K €17.0K

-79.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$99.6 €89.2

-56.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$50.1 €44.82

-17.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$116 €104

-36.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$163 €146

-45.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$732 €656

33.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$577 €516

-33.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,146 €1,027

48.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$909 €815

18.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$2,954 €2,646

33.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$2,024 €1,812

204.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.18

260.06%

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 Albenga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Albenga

$577 31.6% 51.4% $196

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Albenga

$375 20.6% 47.2% $120

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Albenga

$245 13.4% 20.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Albenga

$289 15.9% 111% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Albenga

$193 10.6% 72.7% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Albenga

$77 4.2% 14.1% $9.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Albenga

$68 3.7% 34.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $732 in Albenga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $57 in Albenga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $375 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇹 Albenga

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,213

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Albenga 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Albenga

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 Albenga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albenga costs about 51% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,734 in Albenga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Albenga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $732 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $495 in Albenga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Albenga at $1,823. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Albenga it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,823 in Albenga. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.