Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Horta

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Horta: $1,204 and $1,211 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Horta, Portugal
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Horta
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,211
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,211 in Horta, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Horta $1,211

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,810 in Horta, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Horta $1,810

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,409 in Horta, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Horta $2,409

Playa del Carmen is about 1% cheaper than Horta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Playa del Carmen and Horta are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Horta 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Horta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$8.00 €7.19
36.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$31.33 €28.15
38.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$8.58 €7.71
37.30%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$2.25 €2.02
69.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$1.99 €1.78
-35.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$1.46 €1.31
-46.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$2.76 €2.48
14.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$3.28 €2.95
50.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Horta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.04 €0.94
35.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$1.47 €1.32
51.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$1.59 €1.43
-10.69%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$4.13 €3.71
-38.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$10.78 €9.69
-32.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$7.37 €6.62
4.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$14.39 €12.93
-11.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$2.47 €2.22
12.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.35 €1.21
1.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$1.84 €1.65
38.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$2.26 €2.03
-6.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$1.81 €1.62
7.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$1.97 €1.77
-4.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$1.55 €1.39
-25.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.80 €0.72
47.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$5.43 €4.88
-20.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$5.52 €4.96
80.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$1.24 €1.11
27.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$2.13 €1.91
25.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Horta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$2.02 €1.82
-72.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$42.23 €37.93
-36.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$3.39 €3.05
46.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$1.19 €1.06
179.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$14.62 €13.13
-63.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$2.10 €1.88
-31.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$36.9K €33.2K
-44.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$43.3K €38.9K
-45.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Horta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$120 €108
-29.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$20.28 €18.21
15.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$49.57 €44.53
-42.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Horta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$48.22 €43.32
18.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$15.07 €13.54
91.84%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$5.04 €4.53
1.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Horta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$476 €428
-56.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$9,662 €8,680
-59.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Horta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$76.9 €69.1
-43.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$23.57 €21.17
75.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$52.8 €47.42
40.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$102 €91.5
-12.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Horta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$497 €447
96.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$392 €352
-2.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$738 €663
131.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$651 €585
65.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$3,101 €2,786
27.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$2,314 €2,078
166.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Horta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
$968 €870
-24.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.67
211.99%

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 Horta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Horta
$392 2.8% $11
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Horta
$246 3.4% $8.7
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Horta
$151 25.4% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Horta
$190 38.5% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Horta
$115 2.8% $3.1
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Horta
$58 13.4% $9
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Horta
$60 18.2% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $497 in Horta. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Horta. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $31 in Horta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $246 – making Horta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇹 Horta
🕒 Local time
12:49 12:49 PM
16:49 4:49 PM
4 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
14,334
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Horta 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Horta

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 Horta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Horta compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,211 in Horta – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Horta?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,816 in Horta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Horta?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Horta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $497 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How do commuting costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Horta?
Public transport costs about 37% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Horta?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $476 in Horta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $1,500 go in Playa del Carmen compared to Horta?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,211 in Horta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Horta?
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 $1,211 in Horta. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Horta?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Horta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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