Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Argostoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,358 in Argostoli, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Argostoli
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Argostoli Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Argostoli

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,358 in Argostoli, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Argostoli $1,358

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,073 in Argostoli, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Argostoli $2,073

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,789 in Argostoli, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Argostoli $2,789

Playa del Carmen is about 11% cheaper than Argostoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Argostoli is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$198

$11.28 €10.02

-4.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$792

$58.1 €51.6

-25.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$217

$9.18 €8.15

28.43%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.1

$4.29 €3.81

-9.79%

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

$1.37 MX$25.18

$2.34 €2.08

-41.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.38

$0.54 €0.48

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.0

$4.53 €4.03

-31.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.2

$4.47 €3.97

13.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.43

$1.55 €1.37

-7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.05

$1.42 €1.26

57.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.05

$2.41 €2.14

-39.00%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.51

$5.14 €4.57

-50.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$134

$11.30 €10.03

-35.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$9.76 €8.67

-19.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$235

$14.28 €12.68

-10.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.4

$2.29 €2.04

26.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.41

$2.21 €1.96

-34.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$46.87

$1.76 €1.56

44.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.86

$1.97 €1.75

4.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.81

$1.11 €0.99

80.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.91

$1.26 €1.12

59.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$21.92

$0.89 €0.79

33.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.12

$0.83 €0.74

51.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.0

$5.25 €4.66

-16.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$176

$6.86 €6.09

39.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.29

$1.65 €1.46

-3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.7

$3.42 €3.04

-17.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.42

$1.40 €1.24

-59.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$512

$43.58 €38.70

-36.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$91.7

$4.42 €3.93

12.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.4

$1.09 €0.97

221.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.4

$13.82 €12.27

-60.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$26.96

$2.21 €1.96

-33.48%

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

$21.0K MX$386.1K

$27.7K €24.6K

-24.34%

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

$23.9K MX$439.9K

$23.7K €21.0K

1.04%

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

$84.2 MX$1,549

$161 €143

-47.58%

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

$23.99 MX$441

$24.63 €21.87

-2.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$534

$28.27 €25.11

2.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,159

$51.2 €45.44

23.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$536

$25.18 €22.36

15.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$90.9

$9.09 €8.07

-45.65%

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

$204 MX$3,746

$476 €423

-57.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.5K

$4,442 €3,945

-11.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$802

$69.1 €61.3

-36.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$793

$35.94 €31.92

19.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,394

$74.8 €66.5

1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,630

$109 €96.9

-18.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$477 €423

111.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,881

$398 €354

-6.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.4K

$733 €651

132.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$613 €544

80.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.6K

$2,612 €2,319

51.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$113.5K

$2,176 €1,932

183.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.36

162.61%

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 Argostoli: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Argostoli

$398 29.3% 6.5% $24

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Argostoli

$275 20.3% 6.5% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Argostoli

$212 15.6% 5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Argostoli

$214 15.7% 55.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Argostoli

$130 9.6% 15.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Argostoli

$69 5.1% 4.8% $3.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Argostoli

$59 4.4% 12.4% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $477 in Argostoli. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $58.0 in Argostoli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $275 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Argostoli

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

16:40 4:40 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

10,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 18.4 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Argostoli 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Argostoli

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 Argostoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Argostoli is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,037 in Argostoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Argostoli, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $58.0 in Argostoli. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Argostoli at $1,358. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Argostoli it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Argostoli makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.