Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Magenta

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,864 in Magenta, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Magenta
Learn more

Magenta Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Magenta

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,864 in Magenta.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Magenta $1,864

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,854 in Magenta.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Magenta $2,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,844 in Magenta.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Magenta $3,844

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 35% less than in Magenta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Magenta is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$22.06 €19.82

-50.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$86.2 €77.5

-49.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$13.20 €11.86

-10.76%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$1.97 €1.77

93.40%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$3.46 €3.11

-63.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$1.54 €1.39

-49.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$6.75 €6.06

-53.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$6.02 €5.41

-18.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$1.94 €1.74

-27.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$2.37 €2.13

-6.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$3.03 €2.72

-53.14%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$4.28 €3.84

-41.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$17.17 €15.43

-57.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$13.26 €11.92

-41.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$23.68 €21.28

-46.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$1.83 €1.64

51.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$2.25 €2.02

-39.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$2.86 €2.57

-10.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$3.91 €3.52

-45.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$2.55 €2.29

-23.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$1.56 €1.40

21.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$1.45 €1.30

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$0.58 €0.52

103.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$6.89 €6.19

-37.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$7.61 €6.84

30.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$2.10 €1.88

-24.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$2.56 €2.30

4.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$1.80 €1.62

-69.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

$37.22 €33.44

-28.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$8.89 €7.99

-44.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$2.22 €2.00

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$39.07 €35.11

-86.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.98 €1.78

-27.27%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$35.5K €31.9K

-41.86%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$34.6K €31.1K

-32.12%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$220 €198

-61.51%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$11.09 €9.96

111.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$30.33 €27.25

-5.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$61.0 €54.8

-6.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

$21.75 €19.54

32.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$11.26 €10.12

-54.35%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$785 €706

-73.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$18.4K €16.5K

-78.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$107 €96.6

-59.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$39.67 €35.65

4.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$128 €115

-42.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$171 €153

-47.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$734 €659

33.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$579 €520

-34.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$1,134 €1,019

50.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$880 €791

22.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

$3,309 €2,973

19.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$2,033 €1,827

202.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,655 €1,487

-55.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.92

292.12%

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 Magenta: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Magenta

$579 31.1% 52% $198

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Magenta

$369 19.8% 44.9% $114

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Magenta

$306 16.4% 51% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Magenta

$262 14% 91.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Magenta

$201 10.8% 79.6% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Magenta

$84 4.5% 24.1% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Magenta

$64 3.5% 27.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $734 in Magenta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Magenta pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $86 in Magenta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $369 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇹 Magenta

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

22,839

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Magenta 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Magenta

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 Magenta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Magenta differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $1,864 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $734 in Magenta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,864 in Magenta – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 28% less than in Magenta. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,864 in Magenta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Magenta. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Magenta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.