Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Guarda

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,271 in Guarda, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Guarda
Learn more

Guarda Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Guarda

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,271 in Guarda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Guarda $1,271

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,978 in Guarda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Guarda $1,978

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,684 in Guarda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Guarda $2,684

Playa del Carmen is about 5% cheaper than Guarda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Guarda are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Guarda 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.05 €11.70

-16.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$44.16 €39.57

-1.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$11.33 €10.15

3.97%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.65 €1.48

130.91%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.92 €1.72

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.70 €1.52

-54.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.30 €2.06

37.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.87 €3.47

27.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.02 €0.92

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.61 €1.44

37.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.53 €1.37

-7.19%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.66 €3.28

-31.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$11.06 €9.91

-34.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$11.73 €10.51

-34.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$23.89 €21.41

-46.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.36 €2.11

17.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.69 €1.51

-18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.13 €1.91

19.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.36 €2.11

-10.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.31 €2.07

-16.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.30 €2.06

-17.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.98 €0.88

17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.11 €0.99

6.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$6.91 €6.19

-37.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$5.09 €4.56

95.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.66 €1.48

-4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.45 €2.19

8.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.70 €1.53

-67.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$5.01 €4.49

-0.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$16.78 €15.04

-68.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.20 €1.97

-34.55%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$32.7K €29.3K

-36.86%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$38.1K €34.2K

-38.46%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$188 €169

-55.01%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$16.66 €14.93

40.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$51.2 €45.91

-44.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$56.8 €50.9

0.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$6.90 €6.18

-25.51%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$428 €384

-51.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$13.5K €12.1K

-70.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$34.06 €30.52

27.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$21.99 €19.70

88.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$132 €118

-43.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$165 €148

-45.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$395 €354

147.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$276 €248

37.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$723 €648

136.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$552 €495

94.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,366 €1,224

188.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.27

250.15%

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 Guarda: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Guarda

$276 21.8% 27.4% $104

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Guarda

$305 24% 19.7% $50

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Guarda

$192 15.1% 5.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Guarda

$256 20.2% 87.3% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Guarda

$159 12.5% 42% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Guarda

$71 5.6% 4.9% $3.3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Guarda

$12 * 0.9% 76.6% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $395 in Guarda. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Guarda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $305 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Guarda

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

03:50 3:50 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

40,126

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Guarda 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Guarda

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 Guarda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guarda costs about 6% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,906 in Guarda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,271 in Guarda. That makes Playa del Carmen about 5% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Guarda, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,271 in Guarda, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,271 in Guarda. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.