Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Patras

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,416 in Patras, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Patras
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Patras Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Patras

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,416 in Patras.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Patras $1,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,177 in Patras.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Patras $2,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,937 in Patras.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Patras $2,937

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 15% less than in Patras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Patras is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$11.33 €10.16

-3.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$59.5 €53.3

-27.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.21 €8.25

27.90%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.23 €3.79

-9.93%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.38 €2.14

-46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.63 €0.57

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$4.57 €4.09

-30.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.09 €4.56

-3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.65 €1.48

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.42 €1.28

56.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.54 €2.28

-44.09%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$5.19 €4.65

-51.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$12.15 €10.89

-40.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.94 €8.91

-22.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$15.73 €14.10

-19.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.13 €1.91

30.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.19 €1.96

-37.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.62 €1.45

57.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.02 €1.81

4.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.14 €1.02

70.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.20 €1.08

57.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.86 €0.77

33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.21 €1.09

-2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$5.26 €4.71

-18.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.17 €6.42

38.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.72 €1.54

-8.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.26 €2.92

-18.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.41 €1.27

-60.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$60.7 €54.4

-56.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$4.39 €3.93

13.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.09 €0.98

205.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$16.67 €14.94

-67.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.26 €2.03

-36.28%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$28.5K €25.5K

-27.46%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$24.4K €21.9K

-4.02%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$171 €153

-50.45%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$25.03 €22.43

-6.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$27.17 €24.35

5.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$41.76 €37.42

36.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$23.13 €20.73

24.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$9.25 €8.29

-44.43%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$475 €425

-56.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$4,644 €4,162

-15.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$81.7 €73.2

-46.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$38.64 €34.63

7.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$81.0 €72.6

-8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$109 €97.8

-18.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$528 €473

85.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$413 €370

-7.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$821 €735

108.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$675 €605

59.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$2,147 €1,924

83.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,851 €1,659

232.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,143 €1,024

-35.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.38

161.42%

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 Patras: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Patras

$413 29.2% 8.6% $33

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Patras

$289 20.4% 13.3% $34

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Patras

$214 15.1% 5.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Patras

$223 15.8% 63.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Patras

$140 9.9% 25.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Patras

$60 4.3% 10.5% $7.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Patras

$76 5.4% 51% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $528 in Patras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Patras pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $60 in Patras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $289 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Patras

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

12:21 12:21 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

300,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Patras 10,130 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Patras

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 Patras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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 $528 in Patras. 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 $1,416 in Patras – Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 56% less than in Patras. 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, Patras on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.