Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Essen Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Essen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 30.3% cheaper than Essen without rent, and 37.6% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 42.8% cheaper than Essen without rent, and 25.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Essen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$18.28 โ‚ฌ15.50
-36.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$69.4 โ‚ฌ58.9
-38.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$13.84 โ‚ฌ11.73
-23.41%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$3.55 โ‚ฌ3.01
1.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$2.44 โ‚ฌ2.07
-40.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$2.39 โ‚ฌ2.03
-62.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$4.80 โ‚ฌ4.07
-36.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$4.54 โ‚ฌ3.85
0.44%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Essen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.35 โ‚ฌ1.14
7.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$2.11 โ‚ฌ1.79
-13.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$3.27 โ‚ฌ2.77
-50.76%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$3.79 โ‚ฌ3.22
-32.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$15.02 โ‚ฌ12.74
-43.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$14.32 โ‚ฌ12.14
-40.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$22.21 โ‚ฌ18.84
-51.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$3.14 โ‚ฌ2.66
-13.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.89 โ‚ฌ1.60
-21.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$2.31 โ‚ฌ1.96
-16.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$4.84 โ‚ฌ4.11
-55.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.61 โ‚ฌ1.37
14.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.64 โ‚ฌ1.39
33.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.90 โ‚ฌ1.61
-43.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.17 โ‚ฌ0.99
-7.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$9.69 โ‚ฌ8.22
-58.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$5.79 โ‚ฌ4.91
80.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.10 โ‚ฌ0.93
50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.63 โ‚ฌ1.38
56.44%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Essen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$4.05 โ‚ฌ3.43
-86.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$62.5 โ‚ฌ53.0
-58.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$5.08 โ‚ฌ4.31
-38.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$2.75 โ‚ฌ2.34
-13.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$40.93 โ‚ฌ34.70
-92.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$2.04 โ‚ฌ1.73
-35.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$31.4K โ‚ฌ26.6K
-2.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$38.8K โ‚ฌ32.9K
-38.65%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Essen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$394 โ‚ฌ334
-78.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$34.17 โ‚ฌ28.98
-35.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$53.2 โ‚ฌ45.11
-44.78%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Essen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$36.94 โ‚ฌ31.33
38.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$35.00 โ‚ฌ29.68
-46.60%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$17.63 โ‚ฌ14.95
-72.26%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Essen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$462 โ‚ฌ392
-56.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$9,888 โ‚ฌ8,385
-47.34%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Essen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$96.0 โ‚ฌ81.4
-62.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$72.0 โ‚ฌ61.1
-45.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$104 โ‚ฌ88.3
-22.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$138 โ‚ฌ117
-36.75%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Essen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$749 โ‚ฌ635
28.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$604 โ‚ฌ512
-20.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$1,513 โ‚ฌ1,283
8.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$1,073 โ‚ฌ910
11.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$5,035 โ‚ฌ4,270
-21.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$3,104 โ‚ฌ2,632
109.83%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Essen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$3,451 โ‚ฌ2,926
-78.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
3.97
187.66%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Essen: April 13, 2026

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

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