Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Albion

For one person, living is cheaper in Albion: $676 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Albion
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Albion Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Albion

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $676 in Albion.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Albion $676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,656 in Albion.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Albion $1,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,637 in Albion.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Albion $2,637

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 79% more expensive than in Albion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Albion 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$5.78 MUR 272

86.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$37.51 MUR 1,766

14.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$7.25 MUR 341

62.62%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.02 MUR 94.9

91.58%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.18 MUR 55.6

16.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.67 MUR 31.71

25.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.69 MUR 127

15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.03 MUR 190

25.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.56 MUR 73.3

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.76 MUR 35.98

193.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.11 MUR 52.2

32.43%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.54 MUR 119

-0.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$5.31 MUR 250

37.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.18 MUR 291

27.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$11.09 MUR 522

15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.78 MUR 131

4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.59 MUR 122

-44.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.37 MUR 64.5

86.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.91 MUR 137

-29.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.00 MUR 47.06

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.01 MUR 47.55

99.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.75 MUR 35.08

58.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.89 MUR 42.01

41.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$6.38 MUR 300

-31.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$8.60 MUR 405

11.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.63 MUR 76.9

-2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.27 MUR 107

23.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$4.22 MUR 199

18.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$3.18 MUR 150

10.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$21.22 MUR 999

-74.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.32 MUR 62.2

11.36%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$35.8K MUR 1.7M

-41.32%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$30.8K MUR 1.5M

-22.43%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$44.11 MUR 2,077

90.91%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$10.31 MUR 485

132.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$29.28 MUR 1,379

-0.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$66.1 MUR 3,110

-4.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$6.28 MUR 296

-21.34%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$125 MUR 5,877

63.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$7,537 MUR 354.9K

-47.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$78.4 MUR 3,692

-44.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$72.2 MUR 3,399

-40.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$120 MUR 5,637

-36.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$77.5 MUR 3,647

14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,069 MUR 50.3K

3.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.67

71.66%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Albion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Albion

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Albion

$216 32% 16.4% $42

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Albion

$121 17.9% 40.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Albion

$84 12.4% 39% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Albion

$157 23.2% 38.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Albion

$79 11.6% 7.9% $5.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Albion

$20 * 3% 61.8% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $38.00 in Albion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $216 per month, with Albion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇺 Albion

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

16:39 4:39 PM

9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Albion 16,320 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Albion

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 Albion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Albion differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $676 including rent). Albion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $1,014 in Albion to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $125 in Albion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Albion – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $676 in Albion versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albion but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Albion 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Albion 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 Albion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.