Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Quarteira

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,662 in Quarteira, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Quarteira
Learn more

Quarteira Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Quarteira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,662 in Quarteira, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Quarteira $1,662

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,414 in Quarteira, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Quarteira $2,414

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,166 in Quarteira, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Quarteira $3,166

Playa del Carmen is about 28% cheaper than Quarteira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Quarteira is 23% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$13.93 €12.42

-23.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$56.5 €50.4

-22.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$11.02 €9.83

6.99%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.85 €1.65

104.86%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.55 €1.39

-16.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$1.22 €1.09

-31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.84 €2.53

10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.57 €2.29

91.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.02 €0.91

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.26 €1.12

74.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.53 €1.36

-3.92%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$3.47 €3.10

-27.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$9.00 €8.03

-19.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$6.21 €5.54

28.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$11.25 €10.04

14.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.50 €2.23

16.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.30 €1.16

6.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.58 €1.41

57.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$2.52 €2.25

-19.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.99 €1.78

1.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.61 €1.44

18.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$1.40 €1.24

-18.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.64 €0.57

93.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$6.06 €5.40

-29.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$3.83 €3.42

156.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$0.96 €0.86

65.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.52 €2.25

9.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$5.42 €4.84

-90.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$3.66 €3.27

30.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.66 €0.59

392.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$16.87 €15.05

-68.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$2.13 €1.90

-28.17%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$33.9K €30.2K

-37.40%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$38.1K €34.0K

-38.98%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$113 €101

-26.02%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$21.94 €19.57

5.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$35.23 €31.42

-21.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$91.2 €81.4

-38.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$8.92 €7.96

-43.95%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$458 €408

-54.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$11.3K €10.1K

-53.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$71.6 €63.9

-39.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$44.13 €39.36

-3.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$104 €93.1

-30.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$103 €92.0

-14.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$841 €750

18.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$798 €711

-52.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$1,430 €1,275

17.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$1,173 €1,046

-7.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$1,372 €1,224

-39.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.54

223.45%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Quarteira: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Quarteira

$798 48% 109% $415

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Quarteira

$214 12.9% 17% $44

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Quarteira

$197 11.9% 1.6% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Quarteira

$170 10.2% 26.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Quarteira

$145 8.8% 30.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Quarteira

$109 6.6% 64.2% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Quarteira

$29 * 1.7% 43.2% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $841 in Quarteira. 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 65% higher in Quarteira. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $56 in Quarteira. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $214 in Quarteira – so Quarteira wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Quarteira

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

04:04 4:04 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,421

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Quarteira 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Quarteira

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 Quarteira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Quarteira is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,492 in Quarteira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quarteira, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $841 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,662 in Quarteira. That makes Playa del Carmen about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $458 in Quarteira. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Quarteira at $1,662. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Quarteira 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,662 in Quarteira. 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, Quarteira makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.