Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Les Escaldes

For one person, living is cheaper in Les Escaldes: $355 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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

$1,204

/mo nomad

Les Escaldes

🇦🇩 Andorra

$355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Les Escaldes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $355 in Les Escaldes.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Les Escaldes $355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,801 in Les Escaldes.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Les Escaldes $1,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,247 in Les Escaldes.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Les Escaldes $3,247

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 239% more expensive than in Les Escaldes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Les Escaldes 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$14.44 €12.94

-24.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$38.57 €34.57

12.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$13.60 €12.19

-13.38%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.55 €2.28

49.41%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.44 €2.19

-47.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.65 €1.48

-52.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.09 €2.77

2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.10 €2.78

59.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.11 €1.89

-33.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$4.14 €3.71

-39.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$17.06 €15.29

-25.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.80 €3.40

-26.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$5.65 €5.06

-23.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.73 €6.03

47.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$2.23 €2.00

-75.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.89 €1.69

-23.81%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

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

$23.41 MX$440

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,796 €2,506

-38.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,273 €2,037

-52.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$11.4K €10.2K

-45.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,626 €2,353

-72.03%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Les Escaldes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Les Escaldes

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Les Escaldes

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Les Escaldes

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Les Escaldes

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Les Escaldes

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Les Escaldes

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Les Escaldes

–

Cost Breakdown

Les Escaldes pays about 3.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $39 in Les Escaldes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $121 per month, with Les Escaldes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇩 Les Escaldes

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

11:42 11:42 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,853

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Les Escaldes 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Les Escaldes

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 Les Escaldes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $355 in Les Escaldes, so Les Escaldes is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Dining out is cheaper in Les Escaldes – a meal for two runs $39 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $355 in Les Escaldes – Les Escaldes is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $355 in Les Escaldes versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Les Escaldes but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Les Escaldes 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.