Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chaves

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,050 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,050 in Chaves, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chaves $1,050

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,604 in Chaves, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chaves $1,604

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,159 in Chaves, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chaves $2,159

Playa del Carmen costs about 15% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Chaves are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Chaves 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.85 €7.04

39.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$22.39 €20.06

93.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.81 €6.99

50.83%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.57 €1.41

142.68%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.45 €1.30

-11.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.58 €0.52

34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.20 €1.97

44.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.69 €2.41

83.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.00 €0.90

41.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.10 €0.98

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.13 €1.01

25.66%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.05 €2.74

-17.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$6.17 €5.53

17.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.37 €5.71

20.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$10.54 €9.44

20.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.09 €0.98

155.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.09 €0.98

25.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.10 €0.98

131.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.11 €0.99

90.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.03 €1.82

-4.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.09 €0.98

73.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.38 €1.23

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.86 €0.77

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$5.95 €5.33

-27.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$3.82 €3.42

160.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.13 €1.01

39.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.09 €0.98

144.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.87 €0.78

-36.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$28.11 €25.19

-5.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.81 €3.41

30.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.64 €0.57

420.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$19.59 €17.55

-72.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.02 €1.81

-28.71%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$33.8K €30.3K

-38.88%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$37.9K €33.9K

-38.03%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$135 €121

-36.98%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$17.73 €15.89

32.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$30.95 €27.73

-7.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$24.86 €22.27

129.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$5.52 €4.94

423.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.07 €6.34

-27.30%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$220 €197

-6.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$3,547 €3,178

10.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$71.1 €63.7

-39.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$22.77 €20.40

81.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$62.4 €55.9

18.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$89.9 €80.5

-0.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$478 €428

105.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$368 €330

3.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$937 €840

82.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$752 €674

42.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,876 €1,681

110.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,438 €1,288

328.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$994 €890

-26.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

281.67%

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 Chaves: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chaves

$368 35% 3.4% $13

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chaves

$181 17.3% 28.9% $74

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chaves

$130 12.3% 36% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chaves

$183 17.5% 33.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chaves

$111 10.6% 0.9% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chaves

$39 3.7% 42.1% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chaves

$39 3.7% 23.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $478 in Chaves. 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 35% higher in Chaves, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $22 in Chaves. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $181 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Chaves

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

37,592

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chaves 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chaves

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 Chaves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 15% more than Chaves, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,575 in Chaves. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chaves, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $478 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $220 in Chaves. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,050 in Chaves. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,050 in Chaves to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.