Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gramsh

For one person, living is cheaper in Gramsh: $1,094 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Gramsh, Albania
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Gramsh
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,094
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,094 in Gramsh, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Gramsh $1,094

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,676 in Gramsh, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Gramsh $1,676

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,257 in Gramsh, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Gramsh $2,257

Playa del Carmen costs about 10% more than Gramsh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Gramsh are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Gramsh 19% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Gramsh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$201
$9.83 ALL 797
8.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$824
$38.88 ALL 3,151
12.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$222
$7.40 ALL 600
59.32%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$71.2
$1.93 ALL 156
96.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.41
$1.80 ALL 146
-27.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.69
$0.64 ALL 52.2
29.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$59.2
$2.42 ALL 196
30.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.9
$3.47 ALL 281
42.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Gramsh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.51
$1.92 ALL 156
-26.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.32
$0.94 ALL 76.0
134.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.71
$2.14 ALL 173
-31.31%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.99
$2.62 ALL 212
-4.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$137
$10.41 ALL 844
-29.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$150
$8.44 ALL 684
-5.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$242
$13.96 ALL 1,132
-7.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.5
$1.96 ALL 159
47.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$26.03
$2.32 ALL 188
-40.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.88
$1.66 ALL 135
50.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.20
$1.60 ALL 130
26.87%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$38.11
$1.05 ALL 85.0
92.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.82
$1.23 ALL 100
54.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.54
$1.20 ALL 97.4
-5.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.32
$0.79 ALL 63.7
56.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.4
$4.24 ALL 343
0.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$185
$8.13 ALL 659
20.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.85
$1.75 ALL 142
-9.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.7
$1.89 ALL 154
45.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Gramsh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.69
$0.50 ALL 40.61
2.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$515
$19.57 ALL 1,586
39.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.6
$3.82 ALL 310
24.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$61.1
$3.79 ALL 307
-14.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$18.83 ALL 1,527
-71.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.76
$2.17 ALL 176
-29.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$399.2K
$34.0K ALL 2.8M
-37.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$437.8K
$24.4K ALL 2.0M
-4.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Gramsh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,571
$60.3 ALL 4,890
38.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$436
$16.99 ALL 1,377
36.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$520
$17.07 ALL 1,384
61.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Gramsh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,062
$57.8 ALL 4,687
-2.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$531
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$94.1
$8.44 ALL 684
-40.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Gramsh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,897
$100 ALL 8,128
106.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$98.4K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Gramsh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$818
$49.30 ALL 3,996
-11.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$801
$55.1 ALL 4,461
-22.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,369
$101 ALL 8,146
-27.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,663
$150 ALL 12.2K
-41.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Gramsh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.7K
$477 ALL 38.6K
108.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,197
$318 ALL 25.8K
20.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.5K
$708 ALL 57.4K
136.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.3K
$465 ALL 37.7K
132.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.6K
$1,984 ALL 160.8K
96.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$115.5K
$1,284 ALL 104.1K
377.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Gramsh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5
129.00%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gramsh: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Gramsh
$318 16.8% $64
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Gramsh
$250 2.9% $7.6
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Gramsh
$153 23.7% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Gramsh
$94 29.7% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Gramsh
$160 43.8% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Gramsh
$75 12.5% $8.3
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Gramsh
$44 12.1% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $477 in Gramsh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $39 in Gramsh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $250 – making Gramsh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇦🇱 Gramsh
🕒 Local time
06:50 6:50 AM
12:50 12:50 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
8,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 81.05 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.86 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Gramsh 9,880 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Gramsh

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 Gramsh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gramsh cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,641 in Gramsh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gramsh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $477 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $100 in Gramsh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Gramsh?
Groceries cost about 3% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Gramsh?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,094 in Gramsh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Playa del Carmen or Gramsh more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Gramsh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Gramsh is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 9% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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