Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lamia

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Lamia: $1,210 and $1,192 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Lamia
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Lamia Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Lamia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,192 in Lamia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Lamia $1,192

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,853 in Lamia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Lamia $1,853

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,515 in Lamia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Lamia $2,515

Playa del Carmen costs about 2% more than Lamia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Lamia are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Lamia 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$17.07 €15.18

-36.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$54.8 €48.75

-21.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$8.45 €7.52

39.53%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.09 €2.75

25.24%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.37 €1.22

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.49 €0.43

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$5.06 €4.50

-38.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$6.22 €5.54

-18.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.67 €1.49

-13.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.09 €0.97

104.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.04 €1.82

-27.94%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.45 €3.07

-26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.25 €8.23

-21.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.04 €5.37

30.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.18 €8.17

39.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.96 €1.74

47.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.20 €1.96

-34.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.97 €1.75

29.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.15 €1.91

-4.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.22 €1.09

63.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.14 €1.02

76.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.58 €0.51

105.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.88 €0.78

43.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.93 €4.39

-10.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$7.03 €6.25

36.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$0.90 €0.80

76.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.27 €2.02

23.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.30 €1.16

-56.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$41.33 €36.76

-32.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$4.15 €3.70

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.14 €1.02

207.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$16.71 €14.87

-67.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$2.06 €1.83

-28.64%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$28.0K €24.9K

-25.10%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$27.2K €24.2K

-11.97%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$197 €175

-57.21%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$22.56 €20.06

6.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$30.37 €27.02

-4.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$55.0 €48.94

14.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$25.51 €22.69

14.23%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.62 €6.78

-35.17%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$275 €244

-25.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,477 €5,762

-39.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$40.11 €35.68

8.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$45.68 €40.63

-5.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$67.1 €59.7

12.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$131 €116

-32.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$486 €432

107.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$225 €200

66.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$497 €442

243.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$389 €346

184.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,640 €2,349

49.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$2,193 €1,951

181.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,112 €989

-32.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.34

114.42%

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 Lamia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Lamia

$225 18.9% 39.8% $149

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Lamia

$219 18.3% 15.4% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Lamia

$244 20.5% 20.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Lamia

$250 21% 82% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Lamia

$128 10.7% 12.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Lamia

$70 5.9% 3.6% $2.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Lamia

$56 4.7% 7.3% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $486 in Lamia. 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 47% higher in Lamia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $55.0 in Lamia. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $219 in Lamia – so Lamia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Lamia

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

02:12 2:12 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

52,006

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lamia 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lamia

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 Lamia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 2% more than Lamia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,788 in Lamia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 18% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $55.0 in Lamia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lamia, where all-in costs run around $1,192, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Lamia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lamia costs $1,192 versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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