Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mullingar

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,754 in Mullingar, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Mullingar, Ireland
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Mullingar
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,754
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,754 in Mullingar.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Mullingar $2,754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,853 in Mullingar.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Mullingar $3,853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,953 in Mullingar.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Mullingar $4,953

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 56% less than in Mullingar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Mullingar is 102% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Mullingar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$20.43 €18.30
-46.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$814
$84.0 €75.3
-48.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$13.54 €12.13
-13.00%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.5
$4.73 €4.24
-19.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.07
$2.53 €2.27
-49.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.70
$2.23 €2.00
-65.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$7.40 €6.63
-57.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$6.68 €5.98
-26.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Mullingar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.40
$1.53 €1.37
-7.84%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.62
$1.20 €1.08
85.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.61
$1.76 €1.57
-19.32%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.36
$3.99 €3.57
-36.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$8.47 €7.59
-14.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$12.26 €10.98
-37.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$13.96 €12.50
-9.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$4.15 €3.72
-33.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.68
$1.99 €1.79
-31.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.89
$1.58 €1.41
61.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.86
$3.94 €3.52
-46.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$2.27 €2.03
-14.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.41
$1.25 €1.12
51.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.53
$1.30 €1.17
-11.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.13
$1.10 €0.98
7.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.6
$20.56 €18.41
-79.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$11.22 €10.05
-11.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.73
$2.84 €2.55
-44.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$3.42 €3.07
-21.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Mullingar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.39
$1.73 €1.55
-68.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$68.1 €61.0
-60.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.3
$5.54 €4.96
-10.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$1.46 €1.31
128.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$66.7 €59.7
-91.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.11
$2.08 €1.86
-30.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.0K
$38.3K €34.3K
-46.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.5K
$38.2K €34.2K
-38.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Mullingar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,592
$161 €145
-47.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$20.54 €18.40
13.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$538
$45.88 €41.09
-37.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Mullingar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,071
$59.5 €53.3
-4.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$33.02 €29.57
-12.45%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.5
$11.03 €9.88
-53.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Mullingar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,878
$850 €762
-75.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.7K
$2,224 €1,992
76.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Mullingar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$814
$88.0 €78.8
-50.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$778
$36.04 €32.28
14.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,393
$89.1 €79.8
-16.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,676
$94.6 €84.7
-5.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Mullingar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,738 €1,557
-43.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,150
$1,579 €1,414
-75.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$2,444 €2,189
-30.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$2,224 €1,991
-51.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.0K
$3,976 €3,561
-0.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.6K
$3,795 €3,399
62.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Mullingar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$2,610 €2,337
-71.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.6
218.06%

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 Mullingar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Mullingar
$1.6K 315% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Mullingar
$309 21.2% $54
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Mullingar
$330 63.2% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Mullingar
$228 66.5% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Mullingar
$138 23.9% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Mullingar
$82 21.2% $14
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Mullingar
$88 74.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,738 in Mullingar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mullingar pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $84 in Mullingar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $309 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇪 Mullingar
🕒 Local time
20:39 8:39 PM
01:39 1:39 AM
5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
22,667
💱 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 = 18.77 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Mullingar 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Mullingar

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 Mullingar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Mullingar?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Mullingar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Playa del Carmen or in Mullingar?
On paper, salaries run 72% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Mullingar?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,738 in Mullingar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Mullingar?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 61% less than in Mullingar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Mullingar?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $850 in Mullingar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Mullingar?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,754 in Mullingar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mullingar. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Mullingar?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Mullingar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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