Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cesano Maderno

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,902 in Cesano Maderno, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Cesano Maderno, Italy
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Cesano Maderno
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,902
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cesano Maderno

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,902 in Cesano Maderno, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Cesano Maderno $1,902

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,922 in Cesano Maderno, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Cesano Maderno $2,922

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,941 in Cesano Maderno, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Cesano Maderno $3,941

Playa del Carmen is about 37% cheaper than Cesano Maderno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Cesano Maderno is 40% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Cesano Maderno
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$203
$22.10 €19.81
-50.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$88.2 €79.0
-50.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$219
$13.31 €11.93
-11.50%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$2.04 €1.83
86.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.89
$3.57 €3.20
-64.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.58
$1.62 €1.45
-51.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$6.65 €5.96
-52.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.9
$6.66 €5.97
-25.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Cesano Maderno
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.20
$1.72 €1.54
-18.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.30
$2.69 €2.41
-17.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.40
$3.54 €3.17
-59.89%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.00
$5.01 €4.49
-49.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$23.29 €20.87
-68.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$12.49 €11.19
-38.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$236
$22.21 €19.91
-42.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$2.83 €2.54
-1.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.49
$2.40 €2.15
-42.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.52
$3.08 €2.76
-17.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.55
$3.25 €2.91
-34.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.11
$2.29 €2.06
-15.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.13
$1.96 €1.75
-3.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.36
$1.80 €1.61
-36.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.96
$0.56 €0.50
110.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.0
$7.38 €6.61
-41.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$9.08 €8.14
9.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.50
$1.69 €1.51
-6.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.76
$1.61 €1.44
65.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Cesano Maderno
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$1.81 €1.62
-69.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$45.42 €40.70
-41.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$5.71 €5.11
-12.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$2.28 €2.04
46.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$39.59 €35.48
-86.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.90
$2.14 €1.92
-32.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.0K
$36.4K €32.6K
-43.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.2K
$34.6K €31.0K
-32.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Cesano Maderno
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,580
$244 €218
-65.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$11.37 €10.19
105.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$32.45 €29.08
-11.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Cesano Maderno
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$54.5 €48.83
4.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$27.18 €24.36
6.36%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.7
$11.03 €9.89
-53.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Cesano Maderno
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,848
$695 €622
-70.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$7,110 €6,372
-44.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Cesano Maderno
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$103 €92.2
-57.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$50.8 €45.51
-18.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,382
$114 €102
-34.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,663
$165 €147
-45.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Cesano Maderno
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.2K
$646 €579
51.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,095
$576 €516
-33.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$1,172 €1,051
45.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$900 €807
19.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$3,103 €2,780
27.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.7K
$1,839 €1,648
234.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Cesano Maderno
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.18
260.06%

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 Cesano Maderno: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Cesano Maderno
$576 51.3% $195
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Cesano Maderno
$389 52.7% $134
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Cesano Maderno
$309 52.5% $106
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Cesano Maderno
$287 110% $151
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Cesano Maderno
$194 74% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Cesano Maderno
$77 13.7% $9.2
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Cesano Maderno
$70 38.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $646 in Cesano Maderno. 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 $88 in Cesano Maderno. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $389 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇹 Cesano Maderno
🕒 Local time
21:15 9:15 PM
03:15 3:15 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
33,094
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Cesano Maderno 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Cesano Maderno

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 Cesano Maderno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Cesano Maderno?
Cesano Maderno costs about 58% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Cesano Maderno?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,853 in Cesano Maderno. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Cesano Maderno?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cesano Maderno, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $646 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Cesano Maderno?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,902 in Cesano Maderno. That makes Playa del Carmen about 37% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Cesano Maderno?
Public transport costs about 41% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Cesano Maderno?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Cesano Maderno at $1,902. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cesano Maderno it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Cesano Maderno?
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 $1,902 in Cesano Maderno. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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