Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Heraklion

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,594 in Heraklion, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,594 in Heraklion.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Heraklion $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,499 in Heraklion.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Heraklion $2,499

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,403 in Heraklion.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Heraklion $3,403

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 24% less than in Heraklion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Heraklion is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$12.89 €11.47

-16.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$56.1 €49.86

-23.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$9.92 €8.82

18.85%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.83 €3.41

1.04%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.44 €2.17

-43.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.79 €0.70

6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$5.42 €4.82

-42.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$5.27 €4.69

-3.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.69 €1.51

-14.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.42 €1.27

57.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.58 €2.29

-43.02%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$4.46 €3.97

-43.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$15.91 €14.15

-54.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$10.54 €9.38

-25.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$15.14 €13.46

-15.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.17 €1.93

33.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.14 €1.91

-32.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.37 €1.22

86.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.68 €1.50

22.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.23 €1.09

62.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.23 €1.09

63.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.93 €0.83

27.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.72 €0.64

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.94 €4.39

-10.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$7.60 €6.76

26.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.34 €2.08

-32.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.86 €2.54

-1.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.46 €1.30

-60.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$67.6 €60.1

-58.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$4.37 €3.89

13.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.13 €1.01

209.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$11.14 €9.91

-51.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$2.16 €1.92

-31.94%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$27.3K €24.3K

-23.21%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$24.0K €21.3K

-0.33%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$194 €173

-56.66%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$30.65 €27.26

-21.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$38.76 €34.48

-25.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$49.10 €43.68

28.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$39.52 €35.15

-26.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$8.74 €7.77

-43.48%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$409 €364

-50.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$3,997 €3,555

-1.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$90.1 €80.1

-51.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$42.03 €37.39

2.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$85.2 €75.8

-11.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$136 €121

-34.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$640 €569

57.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$498 €443

-24.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,089 €969

56.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$987 €878

12.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$4,043 €3,597

-2.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$2,746 €2,442

124.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,128 €1,004

-33.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.44

157.88%

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 Heraklion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Heraklion

$498 31.2% 33.2% $124

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Heraklion

$294 18.4% 13.7% $36

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Heraklion

$229 14.4% 13.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Heraklion

$264 16.5% 92.2% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Heraklion

$159 10% 40.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Heraklion

$67 4.2% 8.6% $6.3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Heraklion

$83 5.2% 58.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $640 in Heraklion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heraklion pays 50% 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 $56.0 in Heraklion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $294 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

17:05 5:05 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

140,730

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Heraklion 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Heraklion

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 Heraklion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Heraklion. 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 $640 in Heraklion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $409 in Heraklion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Heraklion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,594 in Heraklion, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Heraklion. 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 Heraklion, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Heraklion 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 32% less than in Heraklion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.