Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Oeiras

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,111 in Oeiras, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Oeiras
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,111
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,111 in Oeiras.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Oeiras $2,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,200 in Oeiras.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Oeiras $3,200

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,289 in Oeiras.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Oeiras $4,289

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 43% less than in Oeiras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Oeiras is 56% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Oeiras
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$15.74 €14.00
-31.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$55.0 €48.88
-21.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$11.25 €10.00
4.80%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$2.52 €2.24
53.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$2.39 €2.12
-42.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$1.78 €1.58
-52.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$3.42 €3.04
-9.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$3.85 €3.42
31.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Oeiras
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$1.03 €0.92
39.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$1.26 €1.12
76.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$2.17 €1.93
-32.26%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$3.55 €3.16
-28.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$14.58 €12.97
-49.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$7.44 €6.62
5.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$18.56 €16.51
-31.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$2.91 €2.59
-0.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$1.37 €1.22
5.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$1.81 €1.61
40.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$2.53 €2.25
-18.58%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$1.75 €1.56
14.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$1.61 €1.44
24.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$0.81 €0.72
46.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$0.79 €0.70
59.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$5.87 €5.22
-25.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$4.38 €3.90
118.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$1.37 €1.22
16.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$2.42 €2.15
16.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Oeiras
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$2.18 €1.94
-73.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
$43.95 €39.09
-36.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$3.54 €3.14
40.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$0.76 €0.68
360.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
$16.63 €14.79
-67.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$2.17 €1.93
-32.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
$33.9K €30.2K
-38.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
$38.3K €34.1K
-37.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Oeiras
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$109 €96.6
-22.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$20.33 €18.08
18.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$34.85 €31.00
-16.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Oeiras
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$57.8 €51.4
8.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
$26.71 €23.76
9.10%
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$8.22 €7.31
-39.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Oeiras
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$487 €434
-58.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$11.4K €10.1K
-65.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Oeiras
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$85.6 €76.2
-49.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
$43.93 €39.08
-1.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$107 €95.1
-29.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$153 €136
-41.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Oeiras
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$1,451 €1,291
-30.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$1,140 €1,014
-67.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$2,507 €2,230
-31.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$2,037 €1,812
-45.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
$5,565 €4,950
-29.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
$3,352 €2,981
84.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Oeiras
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
$1,477 €1,314
-48.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.54
223.45%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Oeiras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Oeiras
$1.1K 205% $766
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Oeiras
$267 3.2% $8.2
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Oeiras
$231 14.4% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Oeiras
$164 19.3% $27
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Oeiras
$175 55% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Oeiras
$74 1.9% $1.4
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Oeiras
$60 14.2% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,451 in Oeiras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oeiras pays 96% 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: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $55.0 in Oeiras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $267 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇹 Oeiras
🕒 Local time
23:20 11:20 PM
05:20 5:20 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
171,767
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Oeiras 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Oeiras

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 Oeiras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Oeiras?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Oeiras. 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 Oeiras?
On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Oeiras. 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 Oeiras?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,451 in Oeiras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Oeiras?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $55.0 in Oeiras. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Oeiras?
All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,111 in Oeiras – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Oeiras?
At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,111 in Oeiras, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Oeiras. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Oeiras?
Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.
How safe is Playa del Carmen compared to Oeiras?
Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Oeiras are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Oeiras. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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