Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ballerup

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,202 in Ballerup, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Ballerup
Learn more

Ballerup Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ballerup

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,202 in Ballerup.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ballerup $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,495 in Ballerup.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ballerup $3,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,788 in Ballerup.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ballerup $4,788

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 45% less than in Ballerup, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Ballerup is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$22.20 DKK 149

-50.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$120 DKK 804

-63.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$14.84 DKK 99.6

-20.62%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$7.18 DKK 48.21

-46.94%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$4.18 DKK 28.05

-69.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$3.42 DKK 22.99

-77.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$9.19 DKK 61.7

-65.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$7.49 DKK 50.3

-34.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.06 DKK 13.83

-31.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.80 DKK 25.50

-41.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.28 DKK 15.33

-37.72%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$4.86 DKK 32.66

-48.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$15.42 DKK 104

-52.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.32 DKK 76.0

-31.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$18.11 DKK 122

-29.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.19 DKK 21.43

-12.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$3.01 DKK 20.22

-54.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$3.82 DKK 25.62

-33.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$5.14 DKK 34.50

-58.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.31 DKK 15.50

-16.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.09 DKK 14.02

-9.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.12 DKK 14.24

-45.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.31 DKK 8.78

-9.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$9.66 DKK 64.9

-55.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.08 DKK 67.7

-1.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.85 DKK 12.40

-14.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.46 DKK 16.52

8.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$3.56 DKK 23.89

-84.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$86.2 DKK 579

-69.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$5.91 DKK 39.68

-15.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.62 DKK 10.88

105.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$63.0 DKK 423

-91.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$2.58 DKK 17.35

-44.19%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$51.4K DKK 345.1K

-59.79%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$52.8K DKK 354.3K

-55.53%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$183 DKK 1,229

-53.69%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$11.39 DKK 76.5

105.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$37.57 DKK 252

-23.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$41.79 DKK 281

36.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$24.41 DKK 164

18.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$19.58 DKK 132

-73.75%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$741 DKK 4,977

-72.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,934 DKK 39.8K

-33.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$108 DKK 728

-60.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$46.28 DKK 311

-10.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$127 DKK 853

-41.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$187 DKK 1,258

-52.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$914 DKK 6,138

7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$775 DKK 5,201

-50.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,650 DKK 11.1K

3.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,346 DKK 9,039

-20.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$4,984 DKK 33.5K

-20.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$3,793 DKK 25.5K

62.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$5,906 DKK 39.7K

-87.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.67

211.99%

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 Ballerup: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ballerup

$775 35.2% 103% $394

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ballerup

$389 17.7% 52.6% $134

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ballerup

$400 18.2% 97.5% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ballerup

$232 10.5% 69.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ballerup

$211 9.6% 89% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ballerup

$81 3.7% 20.2% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ballerup

$114 5.2% 127% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $914 in Ballerup. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballerup pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $120 in Ballerup for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $389 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇩🇰 Ballerup

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

39,087

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 DKK = 0.149 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DKK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 DKK (1 DKK = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ballerup 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ballerup

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 Ballerup: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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 $914 in Ballerup. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $741 in Ballerup. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Ballerup. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,202 in Ballerup, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ballerup. 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, Ballerup on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.