Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and the Canary Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,638 in the Canary Islands, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,638 in the Canary Islands.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Canary Islands $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,372 in the Canary Islands.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Canary Islands $2,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,106 in the Canary Islands.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Canary Islands $3,106

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 26% less than in the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Canary Islands is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$20.18 €18.07

-45.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$60.0 €53.7

-27.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.48 €8.49

24.26%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.03 €1.82

87.68%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.85 €1.66

-30.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.11 €0.99

-29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.75 €2.46

15.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.34 €2.99

47.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.33 €1.19

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.47 €2.21

-10.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.55 €1.38

-8.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.18 €1.95

15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$19.29 €17.28

-62.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$10.07 €9.02

-23.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$17.76 €15.90

-28.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.66 €2.38

4.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.29 €2.05

-40.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.18 €1.95

16.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.51 €2.25

-15.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.08 €1.86

-6.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.00 €1.79

-5.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.69 €1.51

-31.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.91 €0.82

29.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$4.70 €4.21

-8.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.83 €7.02

27.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.62 €1.45

-2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.74 €1.56

53.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.82 €0.73

-32.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$4.23 €3.79

17.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.63 €1.46

104.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$17.05 €15.27

-68.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.70 €1.52

-15.29%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$24.1K €21.6K

-14.26%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$30.6K €27.4K

-23.22%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$122 €110

-30.73%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$21.05 €18.85

11.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$34.53 €30.93

-17.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$47.66 €42.69

19.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$24.64 €22.07

17.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$9.93 €8.89

-48.24%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$398 €357

-48.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$4,943 €4,427

-20.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$67.9 €60.8

-36.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$39.80 €35.65

4.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$92.4 €82.7

-19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$112 €100

-20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,121 €1,004

-12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$672 €602

-43.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$844 €756

27.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,366 €1,224

-46.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.33

243.84%

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 Canary Islands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Canary Islands

$672 41% 76.4% $291

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Canary Islands

$318 19.4% 24.8% $63

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Canary Islands

$246 15.1% 21.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Canary Islands

$178 10.9% 30.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Canary Islands

$140 8.6% 25.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Canary Islands

$68 4.1% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 68.9% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,121 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $60 in the Canary Islands for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $318 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

14:22 2:22 PM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

12,050

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Canary Islands 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in the Canary Islands. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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 $1,121 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in the Canary Islands. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,638 in the Canary Islands – Playa del Carmen is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,638 in the Canary Islands, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in the Canary Islands. 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, Canary Islands on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.