Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Etten-Leur

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,416 in Etten-Leur, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Etten-Leur
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,416
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Etten-Leur

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 Etten-Leur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,416 in Etten-Leur.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Etten-Leur $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,764 in Etten-Leur.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Etten-Leur $3,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,113 in Etten-Leur.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Etten-Leur $5,113

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 50% less than in Etten-Leur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Etten-Leur is 79% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Etten-Leur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$22.50 €20.01
-52.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$95.6 €85.1
-55.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$13.34 €11.86
-11.62%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$4.04 €3.59
-4.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$3.54 €3.15
-61.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$2.99 €2.66
-71.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$6.12 €5.45
-49.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$5.34 €4.75
-5.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Etten-Leur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$1.34 €1.19
7.46%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$2.06 €1.83
8.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$2.50 €2.22
-41.20%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$4.87 €4.33
-48.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$14.77 €13.14
-50.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$14.40 €12.81
-45.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$18.13 €16.13
-29.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$2.68 €2.39
8.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$2.38 €2.11
-39.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$1.82 €1.62
40.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$5.90 €5.25
-65.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$2.02 €1.80
-0.99%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$2.13 €1.89
-5.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$1.36 €1.21
-12.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$0.73 €0.65
72.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$14.13 €12.57
-68.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$6.98 €6.21
37.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$1.51 €1.35
5.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$2.53 €2.25
11.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Etten-Leur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$3.52 €3.13
-83.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
$89.5 €79.6
-68.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$3.40 €3.02
46.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$1.65 €1.46
112.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
$22.17 €19.72
-75.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$2.37 €2.11
-37.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
$41.3K €36.7K
-49.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
$37.9K €33.7K
-36.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Etten-Leur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$190 €169
-55.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$26.59 €23.65
-9.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$47.04 €41.84
-38.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Etten-Leur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$19.50 €17.35
222.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
$26.27 €23.37
10.93%
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$15.18 €13.50
-67.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Etten-Leur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$679 €604
-70.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$5,341 €4,751
-26.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Etten-Leur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$84.9 €75.5
-48.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
$49.65 €44.16
-13.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$89.3 €79.4
-15.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$148 €132
-40.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Etten-Leur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$1,340 €1,192
-24.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$1,134 €1,009
-67.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$2,392 €2,128
-28.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$2,098 €1,866
-47.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
$4,242 €3,773
-7.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
$4,330 €3,851
42.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Etten-Leur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.89
194.34%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Etten-Leur: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Etten-Leur
$1.1K 203% $760
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Etten-Leur
$350 35.3% $91
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Etten-Leur
$336 66% $134
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Etten-Leur
$264 92.3% $127
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Etten-Leur
$167 48.1% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Etten-Leur
$50 31.6% $23
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Etten-Leur
$115 119% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,340 in Etten-Leur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $96.0 in Etten-Leur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $350 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇳🇱 Etten-Leur
🕒 Local time
21:51 9:51 PM
04:51 4:51 AM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
43,027
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Etten-Leur 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Etten-Leur

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 Etten-Leur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Etten-Leur cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $3,624 in Etten-Leur 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.
What is the rent difference between Playa del Carmen and Etten-Leur?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,340 in Etten-Leur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Etten-Leur?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $96.0 in Etten-Leur. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Etten-Leur?
All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,416 in Etten-Leur – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Etten-Leur?
At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,416 in Etten-Leur, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Etten-Leur. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Playa del Carmen or Etten-Leur more family-friendly?
For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Etten-Leur, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Etten-Leur?
Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Etten-Leur are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Etten-Leur. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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