Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kourou

For one person, living is cheaper in Kourou: $174 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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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

$1,202

/mo nomad

Kourou

🇬🇫 French Guiana

$174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $174 in Kourou.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Kourou $174

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $303 in Kourou.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kourou $303

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $432 in Kourou.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Kourou $432

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 592% more expensive than in Kourou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Kourou 87% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$2.00 €1.78

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$6.61 €5.90

-62.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$4.32 €3.85

-32.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$2.27 €2.02

-39.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$7.77 €6.93

-73.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$2.43 €2.17

-16.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$6.90 €6.15

-72.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$2.22 €1.98

-48.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.94 €1.73

-36.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

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

$23.19 MX$436

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

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

$207 MX$3,897

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$1,422 €1,268

-30.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kourou: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Kourou

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Kourou

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Kourou

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Kourou

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Kourou

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Kourou

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kourou

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,422 in Kourou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇫 Kourou

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

02:10 2:10 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,903

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kourou 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kourou

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 Kourou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $174 in Kourou, so Kourou is about 86% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $261 in Kourou to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,422 in Kourou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $174 in Kourou – Kourou is about 86% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $174 in Kourou versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kourou but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kourou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.