Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,270 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,270 in Galway.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Galway $3,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,565 in Galway.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Galway $4,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,860 in Galway.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Galway $5,860

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 63% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Galway is 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$22.70 €20.19

-52.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$110 €97.6

-60.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$16.68 €14.84

-29.32%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$4.79 €4.26

-19.21%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.87 €2.56

-52.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$2.30 €2.05

-63.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$8.04 €7.16

-61.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$6.88 €6.12

-26.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.58 €1.40

-8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.37 €2.11

-5.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.26 €2.01

-34.96%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$4.38 €3.89

-42.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$16.67 €14.83

-56.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$11.04 €9.82

-28.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$13.18 €11.72

-2.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.05 €2.72

-4.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.23 €1.98

-35.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.97 €2.65

-14.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$4.17 €3.71

-50.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.05 €1.82

-2.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.52 €1.36

32.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.29 €1.15

-7.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.81 €1.61

-30.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$20.14 €17.91

-78.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$14.04 €12.49

-31.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$3.96 €3.52

-59.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$4.46 €3.97

-37.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$2.10 €1.87

-72.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$62.4 €55.5

-55.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$5.07 €4.51

-1.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.43 €1.27

144.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$56.9 €50.6

-90.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$2.09 €1.86

-29.67%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$39.1K €34.8K

-46.29%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$36.4K €32.4K

-34.33%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$246 €219

-65.78%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$20.84 €18.54

15.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$50.3 €44.71

-42.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$43.60 €38.78

44.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$22.58 €20.09

29.05%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$16.54 €14.71

-70.13%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$1,010 €898

-79.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$99.4 €88.5

-56.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$48.19 €42.86

-10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$111 €98.4

-31.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$114 €101

-22.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$2,234 €1,987

-54.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,897 €1,687

-80.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$3,654 €3,251

-53.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$2,698 €2,400

-59.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$5,965 €5,306

-33.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$4,623 €4,112

33.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$2,905 €2,584

-74.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.68

211.14%

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 Galway: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Galway

$1.9K 58% 407% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Galway

$365 11.2% 41.2% $107

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Galway

$364 11.1% 79.9% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Galway

$317 9.7% 131% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Galway

$168 5.1% 48.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Galway

$77 2.3% 5.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Galway

$83 2.5% 58% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $2,234 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 285% 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: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $110 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $365 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

11:07 11:07 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

75,529

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Galway 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
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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 Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 170% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 285% lower in Galway. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,234 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $110 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,270 in Galway, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Galway, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Galway 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 170% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.