Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alghero

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,683 in Alghero, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Alghero, Italy
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Alghero
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,683
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,683 in Alghero, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Alghero $1,683

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,623 in Alghero, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Alghero $2,623

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,562 in Alghero, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Alghero $3,562

Playa del Carmen is about 28% cheaper than Alghero, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Alghero is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Alghero
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$22.14 €19.84
-50.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$84.7 €75.9
-48.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$10.50 €9.41
12.19%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$2.07 €1.85
84.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$2.72 €2.43
-52.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$1.53 €1.37
-49.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$5.46 €4.89
-41.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$3.39 €3.04
45.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Alghero
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.52 €1.36
-7.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$2.82 €2.52
-21.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$2.80 €2.51
-49.29%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$3.77 €3.38
-33.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$21.35 €19.13
-66.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$11.83 €10.60
-34.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$22.56 €20.22
-43.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$2.72 €2.43
2.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.85 €1.66
-25.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$2.34 €2.10
8.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$3.62 €3.24
-41.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.95 €1.75
-0.51%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$2.31 €2.07
-18.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$1.47 €1.32
-21.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.56 €0.50
110.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$6.52 €5.84
-34.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$8.48 €7.60
17.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.48 €1.32
6.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$1.73 €1.55
54.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Alghero
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$1.67 €1.50
-67.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$41.67 €37.34
-36.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$9.43 €8.45
-47.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.52 €1.36
119.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$30.73 €27.53
-82.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$2.03 €1.82
-29.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$35.5K €31.8K
-41.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$37.2K €33.4K
-36.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Alghero
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$156 €140
-45.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$8.85 €7.93
164.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$30.48 €27.32
-5.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Alghero
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$54.5 €48.82
4.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$24.03 €21.54
20.31%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$8.72 €7.81
-41.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Alghero
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$442 €396
-53.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$7,981 €7,152
-50.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Alghero
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$67.8 €60.8
-36.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$42.57 €38.14
-2.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$88.8 €79.6
-16.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$119 €106
-24.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Alghero
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$618 €553
58.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$559 €501
-31.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,132 €1,015
50.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$869 €779
23.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$2,942 €2,637
34.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$2,052 €1,839
200.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Alghero
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$2,013 €1,804
-63.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.27
250.15%

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 Alghero: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Alghero
$559 46.9% $179
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Alghero
$364 42.7% $109
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Alghero
$284 40.6% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Alghero
$196 43% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Alghero
$143 28% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Alghero
$72 6.8% $4.6
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Alghero
$65 29.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $618 in Alghero. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alghero are about 2.7 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 $85 in Alghero. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $364 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇹 Alghero
🕒 Local time
03:05 3:05 AM
09:05 9:05 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
42,085
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Alghero 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Alghero

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 Alghero: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Alghero?
Alghero costs about 40% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Alghero?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,525 in Alghero. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Alghero?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Alghero, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $618 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Alghero?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $85 in Alghero. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Alghero?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,683 in Alghero. That makes Playa del Carmen about 28% cheaper.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Alghero?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Alghero at $1,683. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alghero it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Alghero?
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 $1,683 in Alghero. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Alghero?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alghero makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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