Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ebene

For one person, living is cheaper in Ebene: $697 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ebene, Mauritius
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Ebene
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$697
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $697 in Ebene.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Ebene $697

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,197 in Ebene.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Ebene $1,197

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,696 in Ebene.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Ebene $1,696

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 73% more expensive than in Ebene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ebene 49% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ebene
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$5.88 MUR 277
85.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$31.88 MUR 1,502
36.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$6.22 MUR 293
89.39%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$2.57 MUR 121
48.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$0.84 MUR 39.81
52.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$0.52 MUR 24.31
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$1.82 MUR 85.8
74.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$2.61 MUR 123
88.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ebene
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.47 MUR 69.1
-4.08%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$0.73 MUR 34.48
204.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$1.12 MUR 52.6
26.79%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$2.23 MUR 105
13.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$8.69 MUR 410
-16.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$6.18 MUR 291
24.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$10.49 MUR 494
20.97%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$1.77 MUR 83.6
57.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.20 MUR 56.4
14.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.43 MUR 67.5
78.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$2.49 MUR 117
-14.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$0.98 MUR 46.26
97.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$0.97 MUR 45.62
94.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$0.74 MUR 34.98
55.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.51 MUR 24.21
131.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$5.71 MUR 269
-24.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$8.68 MUR 409
14.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.70 MUR 80.1
-7.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$2.66 MUR 126
0.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ebene
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$0.87 MUR 40.92
-36.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$4.34 MUR 204
14.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$3.27 MUR 154
1.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$21.43 MUR 1,010
-74.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.36 MUR 63.9
5.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$37.1K MUR 1.7M
-44.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$30.7K MUR 1.4M
-23.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ebene
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$44.82 MUR 2,112
89.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$10.77 MUR 507
117.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$29.75 MUR 1,402
-3.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ebene
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$28.79 MUR 1,357
98.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$6.23 MUR 294
364.04%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$5.70 MUR 269
-9.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ebene
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$130 MUR 6,102
59.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$7,685 MUR 362.1K
-48.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ebene
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$44.20 MUR 2,083
-1.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$42.78 MUR 2,016
-3.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$47.36 MUR 2,232
56.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$47.29 MUR 2,228
88.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ebene
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$256 MUR 12.0K
283.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$146 MUR 6,874
161.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$582 MUR 27.4K
193.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$421 MUR 19.8K
155.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ebene
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$1,146 MUR 54.0K
-35.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.67
71.66%

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 Ebene: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Ebene
$146 61.7% $235
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Ebene
$203 20.2% $51
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Ebene
$116 42.5% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Ebene
$85 37.6% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Ebene
$82 26.8% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Ebene
$40 40.3% $27
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Ebene
$24 * 52.2% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $256 in Ebene. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ebene pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $32 in Ebene for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $203 per month, with Ebene cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇺 Ebene
🕒 Local time
20:46 8:46 PM
05:46 5:46 AM
9 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
1,001
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR 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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.61 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Ebene 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Ebene

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 Ebene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ebene cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Ebene is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Playa del Carmen or Ebene?
On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Playa del Carmen and Ebene?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $256 in Ebene. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $130 in Ebene. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Ebene?
Dining out is cheaper in Ebene – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Ebene?
At $697 in Ebene versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ebene but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ebene the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Ebene?
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.

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