Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Portlaoise

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,924 in Portlaoise, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portlaoise outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,924 in Portlaoise, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Portlaoise $1,924

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,046 in Portlaoise, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Portlaoise $3,046

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,168 in Portlaoise, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Portlaoise $4,168

Playa del Carmen is about 37% cheaper than Portlaoise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Portlaoise is 41% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$18.81 €16.85

-41.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$78.2 €70.1

-44.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$12.23 €10.96

-3.68%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.93 €3.52

-3.05%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.15 €1.92

-40.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.29 €1.16

-39.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$6.85 €6.14

-53.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.45 €4.89

-9.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.64 €1.47

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.27 €2.04

-2.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.30 €1.17

9.23%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$7.65 €6.86

-67.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.19 €1.96

26.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.28 €2.04

-39.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.23 €1.99

14.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.10 €0.99

76.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$19.43 €17.41

-77.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$4.55 €4.07

-87.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$44.78 €40.13

-40.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$6.23 €5.59

-20.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.43 €1.28

132.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$18.81 €16.85

-71.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.02 €1.81

-28.71%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$40.4K €36.2K

-48.80%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$33.3K €29.8K

-29.52%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$234 €210

-63.75%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$33.50 €30.02

-30.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$56.6 €50.7

-49.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$56.0 €50.2

1.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$16.74 €15.00

-69.30%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$5,113 €4,582

-23.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$27.80 €24.91

49.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$68.3 €61.2

8.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,211 €1,085

-19.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$986 €884

-61.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,324 €2,083

-26.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,104 €1,886

-48.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,851 €2,555

-74.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.5

227.14%

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 Portlaoise: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Portlaoise

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Portlaoise

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Portlaoise

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Portlaoise

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Portlaoise

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Portlaoise

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Portlaoise

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,211 in Portlaoise. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Portlaoise are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $78 in Portlaoise. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $112 in Portlaoise – so Portlaoise wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

06:51 6:51 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

23,494

💱 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 = 20.98 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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Playa del Carmen Portlaoise 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Portlaoise

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 Portlaoise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Portlaoise is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,887 in Portlaoise. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,211 in Portlaoise.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,924 in Portlaoise. That makes Playa del Carmen about 37% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $78 in Portlaoise. 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 Portlaoise at $1,924. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portlaoise 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 $1,924 in Portlaoise. 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, Portlaoise makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.