Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Protaras

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,021 in Protaras, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Protaras
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Protaras Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Protaras

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,021 in Protaras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Protaras $2,021

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,018 in Protaras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Protaras $3,018

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,015 in Protaras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Protaras $4,015

Playa del Carmen is about 40% cheaper than Protaras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Protaras is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$22.36 €20.04

-51.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$77.9 €69.8

-44.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.13 €8.18

29.03%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.85 €3.45

-1.04%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.92 €1.72

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.26 €1.13

-38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$5.17 €4.63

-38.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.48 €4.91

-10.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.99 €1.78

-29.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.47 €2.22

-10.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$3.01 €2.70

-52.82%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$4.63 €4.15

-45.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$13.37 €11.98

-45.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.72 €8.71

-20.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$13.71 €12.28

-7.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.50 €3.14

-20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.36 €2.11

-41.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.93 €2.63

-12.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$3.79 €3.40

-44.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.01 €1.80

-3.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.61 €1.44

17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.28 €1.15

-10.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.07 €0.96

10.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$6.59 €5.90

-34.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.76 €7.85

13.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.87 €1.68

-15.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.86 €2.56

-6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$2.23 €2.00

-75.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$54.4 €48.75

-51.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$9.98 €8.94

-50.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$2.30 €2.06

44.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$22.09 €19.79

-75.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.71 €1.53

-15.79%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$30.9K €27.7K

-33.20%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$31.2K €27.9K

-24.72%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$241 €216

-64.76%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$20.38 €18.26

14.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$32.60 €29.21

-12.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$77.3 €69.3

-26.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$21.75 €19.49

32.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$13.33 €11.95

-61.44%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$687 €616

-69.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$10.5K €9,438

-62.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$97.0 €86.9

-55.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$51.2 €45.86

-19.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$110 €98.7

-32.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$117 €105

-23.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$720 €645

36.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$741 €664

-48.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,648 €1,477

3.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,144 €1,025

-6.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$3,454 €3,095

14.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$2,202 €1,973

179.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.93

191.35%

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 Protaras: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Protaras

$741 36.7% 94.6% $360

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Protaras

$327 16.2% 28.5% $73

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Protaras

$302 14.9% 49.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Protaras

$294 14.5% 115% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Protaras

$169 8.4% 51.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Protaras

$104 5.1% 54.5% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Protaras

$85 4.2% 68.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $720 in Protaras. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $78 in Protaras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $327 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇾 Protaras

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

03:23 3:23 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,230

💱 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 →

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Playa del Carmen Protaras 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Protaras

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 Protaras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Protaras is pricier by about 68%, 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 $3,032 in Protaras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Protaras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $720 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,021 in Protaras. That makes Playa del Carmen about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Protaras at $2,021. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Protaras 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 $2,021 in Protaras. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.