Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Massy

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,204 in Massy, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Massy
🇫🇷 France
$2,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,204 in Massy.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Massy $2,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,437 in Massy.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Massy $3,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,670 in Massy.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Massy $4,670

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 45% less than in Massy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Massy is 63% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Massy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$17.74 €15.78
-38.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$74.0 €65.8
-40.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$13.29 €11.82
-11.51%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$4.41 €3.93
-16.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$3.16 €2.81
-57.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$2.29 €2.03
-64.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$7.96 €7.08
-61.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$5.65 €5.02
-12.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Massy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.55 €1.38
-5.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$2.22 €1.97
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$2.68 €2.39
-44.78%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$4.20 €3.74
-40.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$21.90 €19.48
-65.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$13.57 €12.07
-41.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$22.99 €20.45
-45.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$3.30 €2.93
-15.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$2.20 €1.96
-35.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$2.37 €2.11
10.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$4.20 €3.73
-49.05%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$1.92 €1.71
5.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$2.06 €1.83
-3.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$1.77 €1.58
-35.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.89 €0.79
34.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$13.89 €12.35
-69.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$8.83 €7.86
13.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$2.52 €2.24
-38.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$3.57 €3.17
-25.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Massy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$2.78 €2.47
-80.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$94.6 €84.1
-70.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$2.18 €1.94
124.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$1.42 €1.27
141.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$24.11 €21.44
-77.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$2.21 €1.96
-34.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$34.1K €30.3K
-37.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$37.2K €33.1K
-38.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Massy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$214 €190
-60.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$15.60 €13.88
50.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$31.36 €27.89
-9.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Massy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$36.06 €32.08
72.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$22.71 €20.20
26.29%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$14.56 €12.95
-64.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Massy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$804 €715
-75.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$5,515 €4,906
-28.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Massy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$108 €96.4
-59.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$52.3 €46.54
-20.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$118 €105
-38.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$112 €100
-20.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Massy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$1,177 €1,047
-16.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$886 €788
-57.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$1,594 €1,418
5.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$1,709 €1,520
-35.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$5,935 €5,280
-33.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$3,404 €3,028
80.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Massy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$3,020 €2,687
-75.58%
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 17, 2026

Last update for Massy: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Massy
$886 138% $513
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Massy
$393 52.1% $135
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Massy
$308 53.6% $107
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Massy
$261 89.8% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Massy
$176 57.8% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Massy
$65 10% $7.2
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Massy
$115 122% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $1,177 in Massy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Massy pays 310% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $74.0 in Massy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $393 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇫🇷 Massy
🕒 Local time
07:33 7:33 AM
14:33 2:33 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
50,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Massy 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Massy

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 Massy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Playa del Carmen and in Massy?
Playa del Carmen and Massy differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $2,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 310% lower in Massy. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Massy?
Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,177 in Massy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Massy?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 244% less than in Massy. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Massy?
Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $804 in Massy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,204 in Massy, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Massy. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Massy?
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.
Is Playa del Carmen or Massy safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Massy are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Playa del Carmen or Massy?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Massy. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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