Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Argos

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,254 in Argos, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Argos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Argos
Learn more

Argos Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Argos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,254

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,254 in Argos, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Argos $1,254

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,845 in Argos, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Argos $1,845

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,436 in Argos, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Argos $2,436

Playa del Carmen is about 4% cheaper than Argos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Argos are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Argos 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$10.96 €9.82

-0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$36.22 €32.46

19.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.61 €6.82

54.80%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.53 €2.26

50.59%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.66 €1.49

-22.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.63 €0.57

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.82 €2.52

12.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.32 €2.98

48.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.33 €1.19

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.40 €1.26

58.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.57 €1.40

-9.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.34 €2.99

-24.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$12.21 €10.94

-40.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.55 €5.87

17.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$8.94 €8.01

41.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.44 €1.29

93.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.54 €1.38

-11.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.01 €0.90

152.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.85 €1.66

14.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.98 €0.88

97.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.10 €0.98

71.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.76 €0.68

51.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.59 €0.53

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.56 €4.09

-5.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$5.46 €4.89

82.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.77 €1.59

-10.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.20 €2.87

-16.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.39 €1.24

-60.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$54.1 €48.46

-50.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$4.58 €4.11

8.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.10 €0.98

202.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$16.83 €15.08

-68.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.07 €1.85

-30.43%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$27.9K €25.0K

-25.88%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$24.4K €21.8K

-3.71%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$168 €151

-49.57%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$21.57 €19.33

8.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$27.22 €24.39

5.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$56.5 €50.6

0.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$24.95 €22.36

15.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$9.71 €8.70

-47.06%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$473 €424

-56.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$4,792 €4,294

-18.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$80.6 €72.2

-46.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$38.70 €34.68

7.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$80.1 €71.8

-7.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$56.7 €50.8

57.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$483 €433

102.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$391 €351

-2.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$730 €654

133.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$597 €535

80.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$2,543 €2,279

55.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,952 €1,749

215.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$707 €634

3.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.38

161.42%

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 Argos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Argos

$391 31.2% 2.8% $11

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Argos

$214 17.1% 15.9% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Argos

$171 13.6% 15.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Argos

$217 17.3% 58.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Argos

$115 9.2% 3.2% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Argos

$76 6.1% 12.8% $8.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Argos

$70 5.6% 38.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $483 in Argos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $36 in Argos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $214 – making Argos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Argos

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

06:47 6:47 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

22,209

💱 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Argos 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Argos

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 Argos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Argos costs about 4% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,881 in Argos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Argos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $483 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,254 in Argos. That makes Playa del Carmen about 4% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,254 in Argos, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 $1,254 in Argos. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.