Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Castello de la Plana

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,477 in Castello de la Plana, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Castello de la Plana outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Castello de la Plana, Spain
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Castello de la Plana
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,477
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Castello de la Plana

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 Castello de la Plana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,477 in Castello de la Plana, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Castello de la Plana $1,477

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,147 in Castello de la Plana, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Castello de la Plana $2,147

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,818 in Castello de la Plana, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Castello de la Plana $2,818

Playa del Carmen is about 18% cheaper than Castello de la Plana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Castello de la Plana is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Castello de la Plana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$14.54 €13.03
-24.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$55.4 €49.64
-21.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$7.89 €7.07
49.30%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$2.20 €1.97
73.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$2.23 €2.00
-42.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$1.35 €1.21
-42.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$3.45 €3.09
-8.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$3.25 €2.92
51.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Castello de la Plana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.12 €1.00
25.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$1.58 €1.42
40.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$1.61 €1.44
-11.80%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$2.95 €2.64
-14.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$14.82 €13.28
-51.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$8.21 €7.36
-6.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$14.94 €13.39
-15.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$2.57 €2.30
8.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.95 €1.75
-29.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.66 €1.49
53.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$2.48 €2.22
-14.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.80 €1.61
7.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$1.90 €1.70
-0.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$1.18 €1.06
-2.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.62 €0.56
90.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$6.63 €5.94
-35.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$5.75 €5.15
73.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.01 €0.90
56.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$2.12 €1.90
25.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Castello de la Plana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$1.37 €1.23
-59.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$17.82 €15.97
49.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$2.99 €2.68
66.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.31 €1.18
154.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$14.72 €13.19
-63.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.78 €1.59
-19.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$30.8K €27.6K
-32.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$31.1K €27.8K
-24.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Castello de la Plana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$114 €102
-25.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$13.52 €12.12
73.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$25.57 €22.91
12.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Castello de la Plana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$45.10 €40.42
26.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$8.33 €7.46
-38.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Castello de la Plana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$558 €500
-62.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$9,464 €8,481
-58.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Castello de la Plana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$63.1 €56.5
-31.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$21.61 €19.37
91.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$94.4 €84.6
-21.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$103 €92.4
-13.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Castello de la Plana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$732 €656
33.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$637 €571
-40.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,024 €918
66.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$863 €774
24.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$1,806 €1,618
118.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$1,390 €1,245
343.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Castello de la Plana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$1,763 €1,579
-58.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2.99
282.94%

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 Castello de la Plana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Castello de la Plana
$637 67.2% $256
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Castello de la Plana
$261 2.6% $6.5
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Castello de la Plana
$204 1% $2.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Castello de la Plana
$153 11.6% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Castello de la Plana
$127 13.7% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Castello de la Plana
$62 8.3% $5.6
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Castello de la Plana
$33 34.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $732 in Castello de la Plana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Castello de la Plana are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $55 in Castello de la Plana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $261 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇪🇸 Castello de la Plana
🕒 Local time
23:50 11:50 PM
05:50 5:50 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
176,238
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Castello de la Plana 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Castello de la Plana

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 Castello de la Plana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Castello de la Plana compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,477 in Castello de la Plana – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Castello de la Plana?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,215 in Castello de la Plana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Castello de la Plana?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Castello de la Plana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $732 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city is more expensive overall: Playa del Carmen or Castello de la Plana?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,477 in Castello de la Plana. That makes Playa del Carmen about 18% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Castello de la Plana?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $558 in Castello de la Plana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Castello de la Plana?
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 $1,477 in Castello de la Plana. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Castello de la Plana?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Castello de la Plana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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