Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alzira

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,598 in Alzira, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Alzira
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Alzira Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Alzira

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,598 in Alzira.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Alzira $1,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,333 in Alzira.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Alzira $2,333

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,069 in Alzira.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Alzira $3,069

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 25% less than in Alzira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Alzira is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$14.76 €13.17

-26.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$41.76 €37.26

3.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.02 €8.94

17.56%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.18 €1.94

74.77%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$2.32 €2.07

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$1.39 €1.24

-43.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.73 €2.44

16.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$2.74 €2.45

79.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.16 €1.04

21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.62 €1.44

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.62 €1.44

-12.35%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$3.39 €3.03

-25.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$13.33 €11.89

-45.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.55 €8.52

-19.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$17.65 €15.75

-28.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.67 €2.39

4.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.97 €1.76

-30.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.95 €1.74

30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$2.69 €2.40

-21.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.92 €1.71

1.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.92 €1.71

-1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.23 €1.10

-6.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.66 €0.59

78.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$6.40 €5.71

-32.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$5.77 €5.15

72.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.26 €1.13

25.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.09 €1.87

27.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.67 €1.49

-67.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$31.97 €28.52

-16.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$3.01 €2.68

65.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$1.38 €1.23

141.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$17.15 €15.30

-68.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.85 €1.65

-22.16%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$31.1K €27.8K

-33.59%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$32.0K €28.5K

-26.57%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$140 €125

-39.55%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$18.70 €16.69

25.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$29.41 €26.24

-2.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$45.03 €40.17

26.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$15.51 €13.84

86.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$8.00 €7.14

-35.75%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$711 €635

-70.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$9,454 €8,434

-58.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$84.5 €75.4

-48.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$35.56 €31.73

16.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$93.5 €83.4

-20.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$104 €92.5

-13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$887 €791

10.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$669 €597

-43.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,352 €1,207

26.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$1,007 €899

6.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$3,274 €2,921

20.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$2,202 €1,964

179.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,287 €1,148

-42.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.99

282.94%

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 Alzira: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Alzira

$669 41.9% 75.8% $289

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Alzira

$279 17.5% 9.7% $25

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Alzira

$208 13% 2.9% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Alzira

$188 11.8% 37.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Alzira

$143 8.9% 27.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Alzira

$61 3.8% 9.3% $6.3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Alzira

$49 3% 3.8% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $887 in Alzira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alzira pays 75% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $42 in Alzira. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $279, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇸 Alzira

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

17:04 5:04 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

46,421

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Alzira 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Alzira

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 Alzira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Alzira. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 43% 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 $887 in Alzira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $711 in Alzira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 17% less than in Alzira. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,598 in Alzira, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Alzira. 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, Alzira on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.