Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pisa

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,257 in Pisa, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Pisa, Italy
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Pisa
🇮🇹 Italy
$2,257
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,257 in Pisa.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Pisa $2,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,377 in Pisa.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Pisa $3,377

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,498 in Pisa.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Pisa $4,498

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 47% less than in Pisa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Pisa is 66% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pisa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$20.09 €18.00
-45.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$81.0 €72.6
-46.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$11.45 €10.26
2.88%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$2.09 €1.87
82.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$3.37 €3.02
-62.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$1.40 €1.25
-44.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$6.52 €5.85
-51.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$4.38 €3.92
12.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pisa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.72 €1.54
-18.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$2.10 €1.88
5.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$3.13 €2.81
-54.63%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$5.41 €4.85
-53.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$27.47 €24.61
-73.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$16.21 €14.52
-52.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$25.04 €22.44
-49.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$3.03 €2.72
-8.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$2.08 €1.86
-34.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$3.20 €2.87
-20.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$3.23 €2.89
-34.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$3.05 €2.73
-36.39%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$2.16 €1.93
-12.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$1.87 €1.67
-38.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.83 €0.75
42.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$7.88 €7.06
-45.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$8.30 €7.44
19.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$2.61 €2.34
-39.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$4.07 €3.65
-34.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pisa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$1.94 €1.74
-71.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$44.00 €39.43
-39.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$5.64 €5.06
-11.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$2.21 €1.98
50.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$11.93 €10.69
-55.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$2.03 €1.82
-29.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$35.5K €31.8K
-41.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$37.1K €33.2K
-36.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pisa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$336 €301
-74.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$12.23 €10.96
91.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$42.08 €37.71
-31.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pisa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$47.43 €42.50
20.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$24.56 €22.00
17.71%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$10.55 €9.45
-51.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pisa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$651 €583
-68.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$8,836 €7,918
-55.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pisa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$99.2 €88.9
-56.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$75.5 €67.7
-45.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$86.6 €77.6
-14.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$196 €176
-54.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pisa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,046 €937
-6.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$807 €723
-52.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,742 €1,561
-1.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$1,332 €1,194
-19.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$3,504 €3,140
12.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$2,907 €2,605
111.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pisa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$1,686 €1,511
-56.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.7
209.46%

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 Pisa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Pisa
$807 112% $426
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Pisa
$436 71.2% $181
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Pisa
$281 38.7% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Pisa
$390 185% $253
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Pisa
$206 84.2% $94
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Pisa
$69 1.8% $1.2
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Pisa
$68 35.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,046 in Pisa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pisa pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $81 in Pisa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $436 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇹 Pisa
🕒 Local time
03:03 3:03 AM
09:03 9:03 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
97,888
💱 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 = 18.79 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Pisa 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Pisa

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 Pisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Pisa?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Pisa. 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 Pisa?
On paper, salaries run 56% 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 Pisa?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,046 in Pisa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Pisa?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $651 in Pisa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Pisa?
Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Pisa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Pisa?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,257 in Pisa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Pisa. 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 Pisa?
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 47% less than in Pisa. 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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