Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ilulissat

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,708 in Ilulissat, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Ilulissat
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Ilulissat Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Ilulissat

🇬🇱 Greenland

$2,708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,708 in Ilulissat, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Ilulissat $2,708

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,019 in Ilulissat, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Ilulissat $4,019

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,329 in Ilulissat, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Ilulissat $5,329

Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper than Ilulissat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Ilulissat is 102% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$30.79 DKK 205

-64.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$108 DKK 723

-58.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$18.79 DKK 125

-36.56%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$5.77 DKK 38.52

-34.14%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$3.05 DKK 20.38

-71.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$12.73 DKK 84.9

-74.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$7.03 DKK 46.91

-28.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$3.09 DKK 20.59

-52.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$5.16 DKK 34.44

-54.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$4.52 DKK 30.14

-68.14%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$33.98 DKK 227

-77.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$39.02 DKK 260

-79.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$25.61 DKK 171

-50.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$6.06 DKK 40.44

-51.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$5.23 DKK 34.87

-72.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$5.92 DKK 39.50

-56.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$4.69 DKK 31.28

-54.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$3.90 DKK 26.06

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$5.45 DKK 36.34

-64.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$7.01 DKK 46.76

-83.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$3.13 DKK 20.88

-61.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$22.84 DKK 152

-56.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$4.04 DKK 26.98

-32.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$3.70 DKK 24.68

-85.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$90.1 DKK 601

-69.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$3.02 DKK 20.12

62.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$6.12 DKK 40.82

-42.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$7.54 DKK 50.3

-24.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.78 DKK 5.19

97.44%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$40.2K DKK 268.1K

-47.13%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$13.8K DKK 91.9K

77.72%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$263 DKK 1,754

-68.20%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$67.0 DKK 447

-64.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$181 DKK 1,205

-83.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

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

$208 MX$3,813

$599 DKK 3,998

-65.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$10.5K DKK 70.3K

-61.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$54.2 DKK 362

-22.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$161 DKK 1,075

-53.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$225 DKK 1,504

-59.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$487 DKK 3,247

102.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$620 DKK 4,136

-37.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$867 DKK 5,786

97.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$870 DKK 5,808

27.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$3,760 DKK 25.1K

6.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$4,109 DKK 27.4K

52.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$2,064 DKK 13.8K

-63.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.95

131.31%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ilulissat: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Ilulissat

$620 23.4% 60.9% $235

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Ilulissat

$725 * 27.3% 179% $465

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Ilulissat

$462 * 17.4% 127% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Ilulissat

$511 19.2% 273% $374

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Ilulissat

$198 * 7.5% 73.8% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Ilulissat

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Ilulissat

$139 5.2% 166% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $487 in Ilulissat. 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 172% higher in Ilulissat, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $108 in Ilulissat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $725 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇱 Ilulissat

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

4 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,700

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 DKK = 0.15 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DKK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 DKK (1 DKK = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ilulissat 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ilulissat

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 Ilulissat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, $2,708 in Ilulissat – roughly 123% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,062 in Ilulissat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 229% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in Playa del Carmen and $599 in Ilulissat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Ilulissat at $2,708. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ilulissat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,215 in Playa del Carmen to $2,708 in Ilulissat. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ilulissat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.