Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Marinha Grande

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,638 in Marinha Grande, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marinha Grande outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Marinha Grande, Portugal
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Marinha Grande
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,638
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Marinha Grande

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,638 in Marinha Grande, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Marinha Grande $1,638

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,381 in Marinha Grande, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Marinha Grande $2,381

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,124 in Marinha Grande, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Marinha Grande $3,124

Playa del Carmen is about 26% cheaper than Marinha Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Marinha Grande is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Marinha Grande
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$12.64 €11.27
-13.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$53.1 €47.40
-18.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$10.47 €9.34
12.51%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$2.21 €1.97
72.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$2.02 €1.80
-36.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$1.64 €1.46
-52.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$3.38 €3.02
-6.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$2.87 €2.56
71.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Marinha Grande
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.08 €0.96
30.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$1.87 €1.67
18.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$1.31 €1.16
8.40%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$2.61 €2.33
-3.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$11.91 €10.62
-39.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$7.11 €6.34
8.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$11.14 €9.94
13.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$1.76 €1.57
57.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$1.68 €1.50
-18.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$1.34 €1.20
90.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$2.47 €2.21
-14.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$1.32 €1.18
46.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$1.76 €1.57
7.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$1.44 €1.29
-20.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$0.73 €0.65
61.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$6.15 €5.48
-30.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$5.52 €4.93
80.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$1.30 €1.16
21.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$1.41 €1.26
89.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Marinha Grande
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
$2.40 €2.14
-77.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
$45.49 €40.59
-41.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$3.85 €3.44
29.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$1.02 €0.91
226.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$16.64 €14.85
-67.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$2.07 €1.85
-30.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$33.9K €30.2K
-39.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$38.2K €34.1K
-38.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Marinha Grande
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$128 €114
-33.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$18.60 €16.59
25.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$44.97 €40.12
-36.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Marinha Grande
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
$40.17 €35.84
42.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
$18.83 €16.80
53.53%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$8.74 €7.80
-41.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Marinha Grande
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$259 €231
-20.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$6,231 €5,560
-36.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Marinha Grande
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$74.7 €66.7
-41.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$30.40 €27.12
36.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$99.0 €88.3
-25.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$66.3 €59.1
34.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Marinha Grande
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$983 €877
-0.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
$779 €695
-51.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
$748 €667
128.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
$1,181 €1,054
-8.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
$3,479 €3,104
13.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
$2,539 €2,265
142.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Marinha Grande
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$903 €805
-18.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.85
197.40%

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 Marinha Grande: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Marinha Grande
$779 105% $398
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Marinha Grande
$229 10.2% $26
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Marinha Grande
$196 3% $6.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Marinha Grande
$191 39.7% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Marinha Grande
$122 8.9% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Marinha Grande
$58 14.4% $9.7
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Marinha Grande
$64 27% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $983 in Marinha Grande. 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 23% higher in Marinha Grande, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $53 in Marinha Grande. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $229 in Marinha Grande – so Marinha Grande wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇹 Marinha Grande
🕒 Local time
12:37 12:37 PM
17:37 5:37 PM
5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
39,032
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Marinha Grande 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Marinha Grande

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 Marinha Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Marinha Grande?
Marinha Grande costs about 36% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 Marinha Grande?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,457 in Marinha Grande. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Marinha Grande?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $983 in Marinha Grande. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Marinha Grande?
Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Marinha Grande – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Marinha Grande?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $53 in Marinha Grande. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Marinha Grande?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Marinha Grande at $1,638. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marinha Grande it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Marinha Grande?
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 $1,638 in Marinha Grande. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Marinha Grande?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marinha Grande makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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