Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chiclana de la Frontera

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,565 in Chiclana de la Frontera, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiclana de la Frontera outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Chiclana de la Frontera
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Chiclana de la Frontera Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Chiclana de la Frontera

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Chiclana de la Frontera

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 Chiclana de la Frontera actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,565 in Chiclana de la Frontera.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Chiclana de la Frontera $1,565

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,270 in Chiclana de la Frontera.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chiclana de la Frontera $2,270

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,976 in Chiclana de la Frontera.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Chiclana de la Frontera $2,976

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 23% less than in Chiclana de la Frontera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Chiclana de la Frontera is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$15.56 €13.88

-31.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$49.96 €44.57

-12.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$12.21 €10.89

-3.44%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.64 €2.36

43.56%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$2.31 €2.06

-43.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$1.65 €1.47

-49.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$3.08 €2.75

2.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$3.44 €3.07

43.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.04 €0.93

35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.37 €1.22

60.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.75 €1.56

-16.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.29 €2.04

9.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$11.28 €10.06

-35.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$7.99 €7.13

-0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$15.11 €13.47

-14.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.19 €1.95

32.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.87 €1.67

-26.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.46 €1.30

70.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.97 €1.76

3.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.60 €1.43

26.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.82 €1.62

4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$1.11 €0.99

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.67 €0.60

85.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$5.69 €5.07

-24.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$6.64 €5.92

47.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$0.99 €0.88

60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.36 €2.10

16.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$1.61 €1.44

-68.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$30.30 €27.03

-9.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.86 €1.66

155.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.23 €1.09

164.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$22.25 €19.84

-75.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.75 €1.56

-12.57%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$34.5K €30.8K

-38.54%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$31.6K €28.2K

-26.49%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$163 €146

-48.87%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$10.50 €9.36

120.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$24.27 €21.65

13.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$45.01 €40.15

25.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$15.53 €13.85

81.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$6.12 €5.46

-18.30%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$335 €299

-38.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$9,969 €8,892

-47.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$88.4 €78.8

-50.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$38.49 €34.33

10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$56.0 €49.91

30.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$44.76 €39.92

97.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$918 €819

8.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$690 €616

-44.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$1,339 €1,194

25.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$1,031 €920

4.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$3,392 €3,026

15.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$2,263 €2,019

171.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.3

246.97%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiclana de la Frontera: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Chiclana de la Frontera

$690 44.1% 80.5% $308

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Chiclana de la Frontera

$241 15.4% 6.3% $16

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Chiclana de la Frontera

$231 14.8% 15.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Chiclana de la Frontera

$198 12.7% 47.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Chiclana de la Frontera

$102 6.5% 7.9% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Chiclana de la Frontera

$57 3.7% 13.8% $9.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chiclana de la Frontera

$45 2.9% 11.3% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $918 in Chiclana de la Frontera. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $50 in Chiclana de la Frontera. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $241, with Chiclana de la Frontera cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇸 Chiclana de la Frontera

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

88,709

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chiclana de la Frontera 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chiclana de la Frontera

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 Chiclana de la Frontera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Chiclana de la Frontera. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $2,347 in Chiclana de la Frontera to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $918 in Chiclana de la Frontera. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $335 in Chiclana de la Frontera. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Chiclana de la Frontera pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,565 in Chiclana de la Frontera, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Chiclana de la Frontera. 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.