Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Maastricht

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,656 in Maastricht, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Maastricht, Netherlands
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Maastricht
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,656
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,656 in Maastricht, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Maastricht $2,656

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,753 in Maastricht, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Maastricht $3,753

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,850 in Maastricht, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Maastricht $4,850

Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper than Maastricht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Maastricht is 96% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Maastricht
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$19.73 €17.53
-45.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$89.9 €79.9
-51.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$12.41 €11.02
-5.00%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$4.36 €3.87
-13.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$3.84 €3.41
-66.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$3.05 €2.71
-72.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$8.57 €7.61
-63.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$5.57 €4.95
-11.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Maastricht
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.28 €1.14
10.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$2.41 €2.14
-8.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$2.60 €2.31
-43.46%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$4.56 €4.05
-45.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$14.84 €13.18
-50.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$13.95 €12.39
-43.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$15.63 €13.89
-17.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$2.66 €2.36
9.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.52 €2.24
-45.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$1.88 €1.67
32.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$4.47 €3.98
-54.59%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$1.96 €1.74
3.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$2.30 €2.04
-17.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.34 €1.19
-14.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$0.78 €0.69
58.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$13.84 €12.30
-69.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$6.79 €6.03
44.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.47 €1.31
8.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.70 €2.40
1.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Maastricht
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$4.00 €3.55
-87.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$89.6 €79.6
-69.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$4.94 €4.39
-3.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$3.51 €3.11
-7.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$67.7 €60.1
-92.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$2.36 €2.10
-35.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$41.9K €37.2K
-49.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$39.2K €34.8K
-40.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Maastricht
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$292 €260
-71.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$16.83 €14.95
37.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$49.19 €43.69
-43.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Maastricht
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$41.95 €37.27
34.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$27.89 €24.77
1.08%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$15.55 €13.81
-67.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Maastricht
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$1,232 €1,094
-83.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$13.2K €11.7K
-60.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Maastricht
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$80.8 €71.8
-46.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$38.07 €33.82
11.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$112 €99.2
-34.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$129 €114
-31.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Maastricht
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$1,445 €1,284
-31.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$1,269 €1,127
-69.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$2,312 €2,054
-27.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$1,776 €1,578
-39.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$5,381 €4,780
-27.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$3,770 €3,349
62.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Maastricht
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$3,369 €2,993
-75.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.42
159.05%

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 Maastricht: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Maastricht
$1.3K 232% $886
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Maastricht
$337 30.8% $79
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Maastricht
$329 64.2% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Maastricht
$358 167% $224
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Maastricht
$162 45.4% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Maastricht
$73 9.9% $6.6
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Maastricht
$128 154% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,445 in Maastricht. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Maastricht are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $90 in Maastricht. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $337 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇳🇱 Maastricht
🕒 Local time
18:50 6:50 PM
00:50 12:50 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
120,105
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Maastricht 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Maastricht

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 Maastricht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Maastricht?
Maastricht costs about 121% more than Playa del Carmen, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Maastricht?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,983 in Maastricht. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Maastricht?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,445 in Maastricht.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Maastricht?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,656 in Maastricht. That makes Playa del Carmen about 55% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Maastricht?
Public transport costs about 69% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Maastricht?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Maastricht at $2,656. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maastricht it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Maastricht?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,202 versus $2,656 in Maastricht. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Maastricht?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maastricht makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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