Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and the Azores

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,611 in the Azores, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Azores, Portugal
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Azores
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,611
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in the Azores

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,611 in the Azores, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Azores $1,611

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,369 in the Azores, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Azores $2,369

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,126 in the Azores, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Azores $3,126

Playa del Carmen is about 25% cheaper than the Azores, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Azores is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Azores
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$11.71 €10.52
-6.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$46.92 €42.15
-7.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$9.52 €8.55
23.74%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$2.16 €1.94
76.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$1.93 €1.73
-33.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$1.43 €1.28
-45.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$2.25 €2.02
40.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$3.52 €3.16
40.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Azores
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.05 €0.94
34.29%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$1.53 €1.38
45.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$1.61 €1.44
-11.80%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$2.98 €2.68
-15.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$11.46 €10.29
-36.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$7.67 €6.89
0.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$14.24 €12.80
-10.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$2.28 €2.05
21.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.41 €1.27
-2.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$1.79 €1.61
42.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$2.53 €2.28
-16.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$1.51 €1.36
28.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$1.84 €1.66
2.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$1.55 €1.39
-25.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.86 €0.77
37.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$6.19 €5.56
-30.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$5.14 €4.61
93.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$1.30 €1.16
21.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$2.31 €2.07
15.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Azores
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$2.29 €2.05
-75.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$42.46 €38.14
-37.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$4.09 €3.67
21.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$0.86 €0.77
287.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$17.57 €15.78
-69.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$1.99 €1.78
-27.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$34.4K €30.9K
-39.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$39.5K €35.5K
-40.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Azores
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$135 €121
-37.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$21.13 €18.98
10.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$41.30 €37.10
-30.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Azores
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$44.64 €40.10
27.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$17.35 €15.58
66.63%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$8.48 €7.62
-39.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Azores
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$471 €423
-56.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$8,351 €7,502
-52.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Azores
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$73.9 €66.3
-41.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$38.73 €34.79
7.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$92.6 €83.2
-19.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$92.2 €82.8
-3.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Azores
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$944 €848
3.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$734 €659
-48.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$1,457 €1,309
17.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$1,169 €1,050
-8.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$3,049 €2,739
29.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$2,337 €2,100
163.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Azores
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5.01
128.54%

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 the Azores: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Azores
$734 92.6% $353
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Azores
$245 3.7% $9.4
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Azores
$180 11.1% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Azores
$197 44% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Azores
$134 19.8% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Azores
$62 8.5% $5.7
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Azores
$60 18.9% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $944 in the Azores. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $47 in the Azores. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $245 in the Azores – so Azores wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇹 Azores
🕒 Local time
16:22 4:22 PM
20:22 8:22 PM
4 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
236,657
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Azores 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Azores

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 Azores: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than the Azores?
Yes – Azores is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,417 in the Azores. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Playa del Carmen and the Azores?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $944 in the Azores. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in the Azores?
Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in the Azores – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in the Azores?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $47 in the Azores. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in the Azores?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in the Azores at $1,611. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in the Azores it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in the Azores?
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 $1,611 in the Azores. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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