Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Martin

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,402 in Martin, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Martin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Martin
Learn more

Martin Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Martin

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,402 in Martin.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Martin $1,402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,003 in Martin.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Martin $2,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,604 in Martin.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Martin $2,604

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 14% less than in Martin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Martin is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$9.10 €8.15

20.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$44.81 €40.13

-3.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.91 €7.98

32.21%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.88 €2.58

32.29%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.85 €1.66

-30.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.29 €1.15

-39.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.08 €1.86

52.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.27 €2.03

117.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.05 €0.94

34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.53 €1.37

45.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.00 €1.79

-29.00%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.67 €3.29

-31.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$12.45 €11.15

-41.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.82 €7.01

-1.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$12.75 €11.42

-0.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.22 €1.09

127.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.67 €1.49

-17.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.32 €2.08

9.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.18 €1.95

-2.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.30 €1.17

49.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.53 €1.37

23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.61 €1.44

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.85 €0.76

38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$5.90 €5.29

-27.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.59 €4.11

116.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.94 €0.84

68.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.85 €1.66

44.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.42 €1.27

-61.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$27.51 €24.63

-3.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.67 €1.49

197.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.21 €1.08

175.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$22.12 €19.81

-75.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.79 €1.60

-19.55%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$22.3K €20.0K

-7.38%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$26.1K €23.3K

-9.94%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$295 €264

-71.26%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$19.13 €17.13

22.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$12.28 €11.00

133.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$36.18 €32.41

57.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$16.60 €14.87

74.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$9.30 €8.33

-44.73%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$333 €298

-38.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$10.8K €9,657

-63.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$70.2 €62.9

-38.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$13.41 €12.01

209.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$79.0 €70.8

-6.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$92.9 €83.2

-3.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$512 €458

91.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$462 €414

-17.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$766 €686

123.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$677 €606

58.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$2,309 €2,068

70.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,737 €1,556

254.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,475 €1,321

-50.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.79

202.11%

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 Martin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Martin

$462 33% 21.4% $82

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Martin

$241 17.2% 5.5% $14

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Martin

$162 11.5% 20.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Martin

$326 23.3% 139% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Martin

$115 8.2% 2.9% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Martin

$55 3.9% 18.6% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Martin

$41 2.9% 18.9% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $512 in Martin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Martin pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $45 in Martin. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $241, with Martin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇰 Martin

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

05:49 5:49 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

58,794

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 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 = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Martin 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Martin

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 Martin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 50% 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 $512 in Martin. 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 $1,402 in Martin – Playa del Carmen is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 3% less than in Martin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Martin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.