Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lecce

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,445 in Lecce, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Lecce, Italy
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Lecce
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,445
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,445 in Lecce, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Lecce $1,445

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,321 in Lecce, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Lecce $2,321

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,196 in Lecce, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Lecce $3,196

Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper than Lecce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Lecce is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lecce
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$16.84 €15.13
-35.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$68.1 €61.2
-36.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$10.18 €9.15
15.72%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$1.98 €1.78
92.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$2.16 €1.94
-40.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$1.09 €0.98
-28.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$3.87 €3.47
-18.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$3.41 €3.06
44.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lecce
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.43 €1.29
-1.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$1.82 €1.64
21.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$2.27 €2.04
-37.44%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$2.50 €2.25
0.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$12.38 €11.12
-41.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$11.26 €10.12
-31.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$16.31 €14.65
-22.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$2.11 €1.89
31.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.94 €1.74
-29.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$1.92 €1.72
32.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$3.50 €3.15
-39.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$1.65 €1.48
17.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$1.61 €1.45
17.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$1.19 €1.07
-3.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.38 €0.34
210.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$6.86 €6.16
-37.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$6.73 €6.05
47.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$1.43 €1.29
10.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$2.46 €2.21
8.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lecce
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$1.37 €1.23
-59.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$5.53 €4.96
-10.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$2.19 €1.97
52.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$23.41 €21.03
-77.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$2.09 €1.87
-31.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$35.7K €32.1K
-42.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$35.6K €32.0K
-34.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lecce
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$170 €153
-50.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$11.62 €10.44
101.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$27.90 €25.06
2.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lecce
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$80.6 €72.4
-29.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$56.3 €50.5
-48.60%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$8.61 €7.73
-40.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lecce
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$567 €509
-63.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$5,021 €4,510
-21.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lecce
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$82.0 €73.7
-47.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$48.10 €43.21
-13.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$88.0 €79.1
-15.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$78.1 €70.1
14.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lecce
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$603 €542
62.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$470 €422
-18.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$1,205 €1,083
41.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$903 €811
19.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$3,050 €2,740
29.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$1,579 €1,418
289.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lecce
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
$1,602 €1,439
-54.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.82
137.55%

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 Lecce: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Lecce
$470 23.4% $89
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Lecce
$284 11.6% $30
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Lecce
$228 12.8% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Lecce
$210 53.1% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Lecce
$133 19.3% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Lecce
$98 45.3% $31
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Lecce
$22 * 56.5% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $603 in Lecce. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lecce are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $68 in Lecce. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $284 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇹 Lecce
🕒 Local time
14:02 2:02 PM
20:02 8:02 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
94,773
💱 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 Lecce 9,750 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Lecce

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 Lecce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Lecce?
Yes – Lecce is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,168 in Lecce. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lecce, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $603 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Lecce?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,445 in Lecce. That’s a gap of about 20%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $567 in Lecce. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Lecce?
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 $1,445 in Lecce. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lecce makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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