Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Portimao

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,533 in Portimao, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portimao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Portimao
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Portimao Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Portimao

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,533 in Portimao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Portimao $1,533

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,349 in Portimao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Portimao $2,349

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,164 in Portimao, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Portimao $3,164

Playa del Carmen is about 21% cheaper than Portimao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Portimao is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.23 €11.86

-17.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$67.3 €60.3

-35.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.67 €9.56

10.40%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.76 €1.58

116.48%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.23 €2.00

-42.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.66 €1.48

-53.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.55 €2.28

24.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.25 €3.80

16.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.12 €1.00

25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.72 €1.54

29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.73 €1.55

-17.92%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.12 €2.80

-19.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$11.85 €10.62

-38.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$7.34 €6.58

4.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$10.78 €9.66

17.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.34 €2.09

18.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.59 €1.43

-13.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.41 €1.26

80.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.20 €1.97

-3.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.15 €1.93

-9.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.29 €2.05

-17.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.55 €1.39

-25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.73 €0.66

61.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$6.14 €5.51

-29.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$5.68 €5.09

75.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.05 €0.94

50.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.48 €2.22

7.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.96 €1.75

-71.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$26.69 €23.91

-0.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.29 €2.95

51.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.07 €0.96

211.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$17.04 €15.27

-68.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.13 €1.91

-32.39%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$33.1K €29.6K

-37.53%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$38.6K €34.6K

-39.17%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$110 €98.4

-22.82%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$37.48 €33.59

-37.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$50.1 €44.90

-42.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$46.58 €41.74

22.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$21.51 €19.28

34.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.90 €7.08

-34.94%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$4,508 €4,040

-12.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$51.7 €46.31

-16.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$22.80 €20.43

81.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$45.39 €40.67

63.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$66.1 €59.2

35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$973 €872

0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$713 €639

-46.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,713 €1,535

-0.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,215 €1,089

-11.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$4,232 €3,793

-6.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$3,245 €2,908

89.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$983 €881

-25.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.58

150.00%

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 Portimao: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Portimao

$713 46.5% 87.3% $332

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Portimao

$238 15.5% 6.7% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Portimao

$196 12.8% 3.3% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Portimao

$197 12.9% 44.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Portimao

$84 5.5% 25.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Portimao

$62 4.1% 7.3% $4.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Portimao

$43 2.8% 14.5% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $973 in Portimao. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 34% higher in Portimao. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $67 in Portimao. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $238 in Portimao – so Portimao wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Portimao

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

10:13 10:13 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

59,867

💱 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 Portimao 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Portimao

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 Portimao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Portimao is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,300 in Portimao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $973 in Portimao. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Portimao – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $67 in Portimao. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Portimao at $1,533. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portimao it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,533 in Portimao. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Portimao makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.