Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Grenada

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,413 in Grenada, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Grenada outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Grenada

🇬🇩 Grenada

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,413 in Grenada.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Grenada $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,046 in Grenada.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Grenada $2,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,680 in Grenada.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Grenada $2,680

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 15% less than in Grenada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Grenada is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$11.92 EC$32.18

-8.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$45.16 EC$122

-3.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$8.49 EC$22.91

38.75%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.77 EC$7.47

37.55%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$2.10 EC$5.66

-39.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.46 EC$3.94

-46.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.90 EC$5.13

66.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.75 EC$10.14

31.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$4.46 EC$12.05

-68.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.89 EC$5.10

17.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.94 EC$5.25

-26.80%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$4.15 EC$11.19

-39.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$19.43 EC$52.5

-34.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$8.08 EC$21.81

-75.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.87 EC$5.06

-38.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$3.63 EC$9.81

-67.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$5.69 EC$15.36

-24.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.18 EC$30.18

-11.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.47 EC$3.96

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.93 EC$7.90

-8.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.52 EC$4.09

-63.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$47.92 EC$129

-44.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$6.51 EC$17.59

-23.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.44 EC$25.50

-43.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.33 EC$3.59

8.27%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$16.6K EC$44.9K

41.04%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$207 EC$559

-59.05%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$45.07 EC$122

-48.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$48.97 EC$132

-41.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$32.98 EC$89.1

72.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$16.65 EC$44.97

73.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$8.98 EC$24.26

-42.76%

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

$207 MX$3,848

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$668 EC$1,804

46.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$558 EC$1,507

-31.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,185 EC$3,200

44.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$914 EC$2,469

17.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$445 EC$1,202

65.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

43.12%

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 Grenada: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Grenada

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Grenada

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Grenada

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Grenada

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Grenada

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Grenada

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Grenada

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $668 in Grenada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 65% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $45 in Grenada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇩 Grenada

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

22:50 10:50 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.333 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.333 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Grenada 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Grenada

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 Grenada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,413 in Grenada, so Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $668 in Grenada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $45 in Grenada. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,413 in Grenada – Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.