Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alverca do Ribatejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,710 in Alverca do Ribatejo, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alverca do Ribatejo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Alverca do Ribatejo
Learn more

Alverca do Ribatejo Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Alverca do Ribatejo

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Alverca do Ribatejo

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 Alverca do Ribatejo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,710 in Alverca do Ribatejo.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Alverca do Ribatejo $1,710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,348 in Alverca do Ribatejo.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Alverca do Ribatejo $2,348

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,987 in Alverca do Ribatejo.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Alverca do Ribatejo $2,987

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 30% less than in Alverca do Ribatejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Alverca do Ribatejo is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$12.27 €10.99

-11.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$54.9 €49.21

-21.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.15 €8.20

28.74%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.17 €1.95

75.58%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.35 €2.11

-45.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.73 €1.55

-54.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.28 €2.93

-3.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.84 €1.65

167.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.11 €0.99

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.89 €1.69

17.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.53 €1.37

-7.19%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.90 €3.49

-35.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$12.87 €11.54

-43.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.50 €4.03

71.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$10.25 €9.18

23.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.82 €2.53

-1.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.69 €1.52

-18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.86 €1.67

37.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.47 €2.21

-14.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.78 €1.59

8.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.11 €1.89

-10.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.45 €1.30

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.80 €0.72

47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$5.70 €5.11

-24.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.39 €3.93

126.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.36 €1.22

16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.17 €1.94

23.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$2.82 €2.53

-80.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$44.23 €39.64

-39.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.61 €3.23

37.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.04 €0.93

220.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$11.40 €10.22

-52.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.10 €1.89

-31.43%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$34.1K €30.6K

-39.48%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$38.0K €34.0K

-38.19%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$118 €106

-28.37%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$20.80 €18.64

12.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$39.39 €35.29

-27.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$33.00 €29.57

72.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.76 €6.96

-33.76%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$586 €525

-64.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$11.3K €10.1K

-65.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$81.2 €72.8

-46.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$45.57 €40.84

-9.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$69.7 €62.5

6.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$88.6 €79.4

0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,360 €1,219

-27.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$870 €779

-56.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,362 €1,220

25.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,070 €959

0.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$2,318 €2,077

70.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,761 €1,578

249.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,005 €900

-26.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.85

197.40%

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 Alverca do Ribatejo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Alverca do Ribatejo

$870 50.9% 128% $489

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Alverca do Ribatejo

$232 13.6% 8.8% $22

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Alverca do Ribatejo

$188 11% 7.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Alverca do Ribatejo

$179 10.4% 30.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Alverca do Ribatejo

$128 7.5% 14.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Alverca do Ribatejo

$49 2.8% 27.9% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Alverca do Ribatejo

$64 3.8% 27.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,360 in Alverca do Ribatejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alverca do Ribatejo pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $55 in Alverca do Ribatejo. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $232, with Alverca do Ribatejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Alverca do Ribatejo

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,453

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Alverca do Ribatejo 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Alverca do Ribatejo

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 Alverca do Ribatejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,710 in Alverca do Ribatejo, so Playa del Carmen is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,360 in Alverca do Ribatejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $55 in Alverca do Ribatejo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,710 in Alverca do Ribatejo – Playa del Carmen is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,710 in Alverca do Ribatejo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Alverca do Ribatejo. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Alverca do Ribatejo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.