Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Corralejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,851 in Corralejo, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Corralejo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Corralejo
Learn more

Corralejo Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Corralejo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,851 in Corralejo.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Corralejo $1,851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,531 in Corralejo.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Corralejo $2,531

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,211 in Corralejo.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Corralejo $3,211

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 34% less than in Corralejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 9% below, Corralejo is 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$16.82 €15.01

-34.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$56.5 €50.4

-20.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$11.33 €10.12

5.21%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.40 €2.14

58.33%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.49 €2.22

-47.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.84 €1.64

-53.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$3.04 €2.71

5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.71 €3.31

35.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.78 €1.59

-17.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.49 €1.33

56.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.55 €1.39

-7.10%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$3.31 €2.96

-25.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$13.40 €11.96

-42.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$8.16 €7.28

-3.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$15.55 €13.87

-17.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.56 €2.28

14.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$2.00 €1.79

-29.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.87 €1.67

37.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.51 €2.24

-14.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.85 €1.65

5.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.98 €1.77

-2.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.32 €1.17

-12.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.73 €0.65

67.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$6.12 €5.46

-28.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$5.53 €4.93

78.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.22 €1.09

26.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.23 €1.99

21.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.59 €1.42

-67.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$32.29 €28.82

-15.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$4.02 €3.59

22.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.42 €1.27

147.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$23.34 €20.83

-75.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.75 €1.57

-12.00%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$35.9K €32.0K

-40.83%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$27.9K €24.9K

-12.27%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$143 €128

-41.58%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$18.13 €16.18

32.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$30.80 €27.48

-4.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$45.45 €40.56

42.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$15.93 €14.22

84.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$9.05 €8.08

-43.76%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$471 €420

-55.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$8,328 €7,432

-51.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$84.9 €75.7

-47.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$36.45 €32.53

15.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$92.1 €82.2

-18.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$111 €98.6

-17.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$887 €791

11.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$904 €807

-57.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,371 €1,223

24.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,016 €906

9.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$3,303 €2,947

21.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$2,181 €1,946

186.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$1,734 €1,548

-56.29%

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: October 4, 2026

Last update for Corralejo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Corralejo

$904 48.6% 135% $519

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Corralejo

$270 14.5% 3.6% $9.5

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Corralejo

$237 12.7% 16.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Corralejo

$192 10.3% 40.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Corralejo

$146 7.8% 27.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Corralejo

$64 3.4% 15.3% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Corralejo

$50 2.7% 4.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $887 in Corralejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Corralejo pays 129% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $56.0 in Corralejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $270 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇸 Corralejo

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

10,714

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Corralejo 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Corralejo

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 Corralejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Corralejo. 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 129% lower in Corralejo. 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: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $887 in Corralejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $208 in Playa del Carmen versus $471 in Corralejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Corralejo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,851 in Corralejo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Corralejo. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,215 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Corralejo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Corralejo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.