Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Caldas da Rainha

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Caldas da Rainha outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
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Caldas da Rainha Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Caldas da Rainha $1,532

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,352 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Caldas da Rainha $2,352

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,172 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Caldas da Rainha $3,172

Playa del Carmen is about 21% cheaper than Caldas da Rainha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Caldas da Rainha is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$15.73 €14.03

-30.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$50.9 €45.38

-11.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$10.22 €9.12

16.63%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.05 €1.83

85.37%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.36 €2.10

-44.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.42 €1.26

-39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$2.78 €2.48

15.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.87 €3.46

29.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.07 €0.95

36.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.44 €1.28

61.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.56 €1.39

-7.69%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$3.01 €2.69

-18.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$10.38 €9.26

-25.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$7.26 €6.48

8.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$12.81 €11.44

-0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$1.87 €1.67

56.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.33 €1.18

6.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.68 €1.50

52.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.46 €2.19

-13.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.92 €1.71

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.88 €1.68

3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.29 €1.15

-10.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.84 €0.75

45.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$5.74 €5.12

-23.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$3.95 €3.53

149.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.64 €1.46

-6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$1.72 €1.54

58.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$3.67 €3.27

-85.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$34.14 €30.46

-19.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$2.83 €2.53

73.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.91 €1.71

-19.37%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$33.8K €30.2K

-37.15%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$37.7K €33.7K

-35.11%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$108 €96.0

-22.27%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$18.14 €16.19

32.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$38.70 €34.54

-24.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$48.88 €43.62

32.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$27.78 €24.79

6.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$8.78 €7.84

-42.03%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$399 €356

-47.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$5,537 €4,941

-26.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$95.8 €85.5

-53.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$42.87 €38.26

-1.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$112 €100

-32.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$68.4 €61.1

33.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$891 €795

10.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$671 €599

-42.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,401 €1,251

22.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,122 €1,001

-1.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$2,845 €2,539

41.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$2,284 €2,038

173.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$1,145 €1,022

-33.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.11

268.17%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Caldas da Rainha

$671 43.4% 74.2% $286

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Caldas da Rainha

$230 14.9% 11.7% $31

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Caldas da Rainha

$218 14.1% 6.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Caldas da Rainha

$164 10.6% 20% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Caldas da Rainha

$144 9.3% 25.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Caldas da Rainha

$66 4.3% 11.5% $8.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Caldas da Rainha

$52 * 3.3% 0.8% $0.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $891 in Caldas da Rainha. 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 51% higher in Caldas da Rainha, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $230 in Caldas da Rainha – so Caldas da Rainha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🕒 Local time

06:44 6:44 AM

12:44 12:44 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

50,917

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Caldas da Rainha 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caldas da Rainha is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,298 in Caldas da Rainha. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Caldas da Rainha at $1,532. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caldas da Rainha 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, Caldas da Rainha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.