Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gibraltar

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,921 in Gibraltar, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Gibraltar
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Gibraltar Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Gibraltar

🇬🇮 Gibraltar

$2,921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,921 in Gibraltar.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Gibraltar $2,921

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,544 in Gibraltar.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Gibraltar $4,544

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,167 in Gibraltar.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Gibraltar $6,167

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 59% less than in Gibraltar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Gibraltar is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$20.23 GIP 15.22

-46.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$98.2 GIP 73.9

-55.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$17.87 GIP 13.44

-34.08%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.09 GIP 3.08

-6.85%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.28 GIP 1.72

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$2.02 GIP 1.52

-61.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.49 GIP 4.13

-42.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.65 GIP 3.50

6.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.88 GIP 1.42

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.57 GIP 1.94

-13.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$3.37 GIP 2.53

-57.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$6.22 GIP 4.68

-59.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.36 GIP 9.30

-41.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$8.49 GIP 6.38

-9.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$17.66 GIP 13.28

-28.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.95 GIP 2.22

-5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.97 GIP 2.23

-53.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$3.76 GIP 2.83

-32.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$3.31 GIP 2.49

-35.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.75 GIP 2.07

-29.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.08 GIP 1.57

-9.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.84 GIP 1.39

-37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.44 GIP 1.08

-18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$5.17 GIP 3.89

-16.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.35 GIP 8.54

-12.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.70 GIP 2.03

-41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.11 GIP 2.34

-14.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$3.28 GIP 2.46

-83.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$13.54 GIP 10.18

-63.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$13.12 GIP 9.87

-59.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.49 GIP 1.12

-3.36%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$50.2K GIP 37.8K

-58.84%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$30.5K GIP 22.9K

-22.99%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$170 GIP 128

-50.15%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$26.30 GIP 19.79

-10.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$66.9 GIP 50.3

-57.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$80.4 GIP 60.5

-29.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$22.52 GIP 16.94

28.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$13.54 GIP 10.18

-62.04%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,108 GIP 833

-81.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$21.0K GIP 15.8K

-81.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$139 GIP 105

-68.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$66.9 GIP 50.4

-38.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$123 GIP 92.6

-39.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$144 GIP 108

-38.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$2,178 GIP 1,638

-55.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$1,633 GIP 1,229

-76.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$3,817 GIP 2,871

-55.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$3,140 GIP 2,362

-65.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$13.4K GIP 10.1K

-70.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$8,079 GIP 6,077

-23.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,448 GIP 1,841

-69.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.13

86.79%

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 Gibraltar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Gibraltar

$1.6K 55.9% 329% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Gibraltar

$359 12.3% 40.9% $104

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Gibraltar

$318 10.9% 57.4% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Gibraltar

$263 9% 92.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Gibraltar

$213 7.3% 90.6% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Gibraltar

$107 3.7% 59.6% $40

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Gibraltar

$27 * 0.9% 47.2% $24

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 $2,178 in Gibraltar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gibraltar pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $98 in Gibraltar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $359 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇮 Gibraltar

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

32,577 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Gibraltar Pound GIP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 GIP = 1.33 USD

1 GIP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GIP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Gibraltar Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GIP (1 GIP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.837 GIP (1 GIP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gibraltar 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gibraltar

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 Gibraltar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,921 in Gibraltar, so Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,178 in Gibraltar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,921 in Gibraltar – Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,921 in Gibraltar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gibraltar. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Gibraltar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.