Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Porto Rafti

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,326 in Porto Rafti, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Porto Rafti
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Porto Rafti Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Porto Rafti

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Porto Rafti

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,326 in Porto Rafti, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Porto Rafti $1,326

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,045 in Porto Rafti, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Porto Rafti $2,045

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,765 in Porto Rafti, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Porto Rafti $2,765

Playa del Carmen is about 9% cheaper than Porto Rafti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Porto Rafti are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Porto Rafti 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$11.32 €10.17

-3.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$57.6 €51.7

-24.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$8.96 €8.05

31.47%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.33 €3.89

-12.01%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.29 €2.06

-44.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.54 €0.48

44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$4.43 €3.98

-28.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$5.05 €4.53

-2.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.66 €1.49

-15.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.10 €0.99

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.18 €1.96

-34.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$4.72 €4.24

-46.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.23 €10.99

-40.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$9.97 €8.95

-22.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$13.54 €12.16

-6.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.16 €1.94

28.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.13 €1.91

-35.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.69 €1.51

50.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.03 €1.82

4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.11 €0.99

74.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.14 €1.02

65.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.91 €0.82

26.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.53 €0.48

122.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$5.18 €4.65

-16.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.18 €6.45

38.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.65 €1.49

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.22 €1.99

20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.39 €1.25

-60.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$49.75 €44.69

-46.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$4.36 €3.91

13.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.15 €1.03

189.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$16.90 €15.19

-68.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$2.00 €1.79

-28.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$28.0K €25.1K

-26.14%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$23.8K €21.4K

-1.56%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$149 €134

-43.15%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$22.00 €19.77

6.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$27.28 €24.51

5.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$50.7 €45.53

12.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$24.04 €21.59

20.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$9.23 €8.29

-44.31%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$468 €420

-55.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,655 €4,181

-15.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$83.4 €74.9

-48.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$27.40 €24.61

51.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$82.4 €74.1

-9.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$110 €98.6

-18.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$489 €439

100.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$378 €340

0.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$730 €656

133.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$604 €543

77.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$4,738 €4,256

-16.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,988 €1,786

209.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$837 €752

-12.26%

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 Porto Rafti: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Porto Rafti

$378 28.5% 0.6% $2.4

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Porto Rafti

$265 20% 4.2% $11

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Porto Rafti

$213 16.1% 5.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Porto Rafti

$198 15% 45% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Porto Rafti

$136 10.3% 22% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Porto Rafti

$69 5.2% 2.7% $1.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Porto Rafti

$65 4.9% 29.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $489 in Porto Rafti. 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 14% higher in Porto Rafti. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $58 in Porto Rafti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $265 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Porto Rafti

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

18:59 6:59 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

10,526

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Porto Rafti 10,320 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Porto Rafti

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 Porto Rafti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Porto Rafti is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,989 in Porto Rafti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Porto Rafti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $489 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,326 in Porto Rafti. That’s a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,326 in Porto Rafti, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 $1,326 in Porto Rafti. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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