Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Roquetas de Mar

Name: Roquetas de Mar
Address: Roquetas de Mar, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Roquetas de Mar
Learn more

Roquetas de Mar Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Roquetas de Mar

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,431

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Roquetas de Mar

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 Roquetas de Mar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Roquetas de Mar $1,431

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,071 in Roquetas de Mar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Roquetas de Mar $2,071

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,710 in Roquetas de Mar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Roquetas de Mar $2,710

Playa del Carmen is about 16% cheaper than Roquetas de Mar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Roquetas de Mar is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$16.60 €14.86

-34.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$55.4 €49.60

-21.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.43 €9.34

12.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.96 €1.76

94.39%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.77 €2.48

-53.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.71 €1.53

-54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$4.22 €3.78

-24.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.53 €4.06

8.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.26 €1.13

11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.62 €1.45

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.84 €1.64

-22.83%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.64 €3.26

-30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$15.80 €14.15

-54.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.21 €8.25

-16.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.36 €11.97

-5.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.63 €2.35

5.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.81 €1.62

-24.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.56 €1.39

63.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.38 €2.13

-10.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.92 €1.72

1.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.97 €1.76

-4.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.32 €1.18

-12.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.70 €0.63

68.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$6.27 €5.62

-31.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$5.34 €4.78

86.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.10 €0.99

43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.71 €1.53

56.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.95 €0.85

-42.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$33.93 €30.39

-21.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$7.87 €7.05

-36.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.22 €1.10

172.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$18.04 €16.16

-70.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.88 €1.69

-23.40%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$34.7K €31.0K

-40.39%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$31.5K €28.2K

-25.45%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$134 €120

-36.59%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$15.92 €14.26

47.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$26.37 €23.61

8.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$36.37 €32.58

56.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$8.62 €7.72

-40.37%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$397 €356

-48.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$10.5K €9,445

-62.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$73.0 €65.4

-40.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$35.21 €31.54

17.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$95.0 €85.1

-21.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$119 €107

-25.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$560 €502

74.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$500 €448

-23.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$779 €697

119.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$590 €528

82.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,977 €1,770

99.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,648 €1,476

273.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,310 €1,174

-43.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.18

260.06%

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 Roquetas de Mar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Roquetas de Mar

$500 34.9% 31.3% $119

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Roquetas de Mar

$269 18.8% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Roquetas de Mar

$236 16.5% 16.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Roquetas de Mar

$176 12.3% 28.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Roquetas de Mar

$145 10.1% 29.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Roquetas de Mar

$54 3.8% 20.4% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Roquetas de Mar

$52 3.6% 2.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $560 in Roquetas de Mar. 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 78% higher in Roquetas de Mar. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $55 in Roquetas de Mar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $269 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇸 Roquetas de Mar

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

14:34 2:34 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

106,510

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Roquetas de Mar 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Roquetas de Mar

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 Roquetas de Mar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roquetas de Mar is pricier by about 19%, 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 $2,147 in Roquetas de Mar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roquetas de Mar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $560 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar. That makes Playa del Carmen about 16% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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 $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar. 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, Roquetas de Mar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.