Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Samos

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,401 in Samos, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Samos
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Samos Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,401

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,401 in Samos, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Samos $1,401

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,081 in Samos, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Samos $2,081

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,760 in Samos, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Samos $2,760

Playa del Carmen is about 14% cheaper than Samos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Samos is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$11.29 €10.05

-5.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$38.33 €34.13

14.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$6.78 €6.04

73.89%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$2.92 €2.60

29.79%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$2.34 €2.08

-44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$0.81 €0.72

2.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$4.29 €3.82

-26.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.47 €5.76

-23.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.60 €1.42

-11.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$1.46 €1.30

50.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$2.55 €2.27

-42.35%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$4.59 €4.09

-45.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$13.32 €11.86

-45.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$10.26 €9.14

-22.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$15.03 €13.39

-14.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$2.13 €1.90

36.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$2.07 €1.85

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$1.35 €1.20

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$2.10 €1.87

-3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$1.18 €1.05

71.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$1.10 €0.98

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$1.10 €0.98

3.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$0.87 €0.78

42.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$5.51 €4.90

-22.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$7.17 €6.38

36.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$2.05 €1.83

-22.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$2.64 €2.35

4.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$1.33 €1.19

-61.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$49.61 €44.17

-44.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$4.23 €3.77

12.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$1.14 €1.02

185.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$16.57 €14.75

-67.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$2.14 €1.90

-28.50%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$27.4K €24.4K

-22.53%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$25.1K €22.3K

-7.22%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$199 €177

-58.07%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$23.13 €20.60

0.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$30.38 €27.05

-9.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$51.4 €45.78

9.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$25.31 €22.54

11.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$9.03 €8.04

-44.63%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$403 €358

-48.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$9,025 €8,036

-42.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$89.0 €79.3

-51.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$39.53 €35.20

7.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$93.2 €83.0

-21.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$121 €108

-27.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$490 €437

102.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$382 €340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$726 €647

130.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$598 €532

80.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$2,436 €2,169

60.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$1,977 €1,760

210.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$1,011 €900

-17.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.48

155.58%

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 Samos: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Samos

$382 27.3% 0% $0

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Samos

$285 20.3% 10.7% $28

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Samos

$193 13.8% 3.8% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Samos

$253 18% 88.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Samos

$154 11% 38.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Samos

$69 5% 4.6% $3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Samos

$65 4.6% 28.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $490 in Samos. 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 21% higher in Samos. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $38 in Samos. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $285 in Samos – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Samos

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

12:07 12:07 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

33,814

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Samos 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Samos

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 Samos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Samos is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,102 in Samos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $490 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,401 in Samos. That makes Playa del Carmen about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,401 in Samos. 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, Samos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.