Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saue

For one person, living is cheaper in Saue: $1,107 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Saue, Estonia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Saue
🇪🇪 Estonia
$1,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,107 in Saue, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Saue $1,107

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,724 in Saue, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Saue $1,724

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,342 in Saue, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Saue $2,342

Playa del Carmen costs about 9% more than Saue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Saue are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Saue 18% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Saue
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$17.00 €15.20
-37.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$70.5 €63.0
-37.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$11.14 €9.96
5.83%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.98 €3.56
-4.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$2.24 €2.00
-41.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$2.24 €2.00
-62.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$6.57 €5.87
-52.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$6.83 €6.11
-27.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Saue
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.10 €0.98
28.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.38 €1.24
59.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$2.28 €2.04
-35.53%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$2.84 €2.54
-11.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$11.32 €10.12
-35.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$8.50 €7.60
-6.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$15.17 €13.57
-15.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$2.13 €1.90
36.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.39 €1.24
-0.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$2.43 €2.18
2.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$2.98 €2.66
-31.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$0.81 €0.72
149.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$0.81 €0.73
134.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.88 €1.69
-39.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.92 €0.82
34.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$6.94 €6.20
-38.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$10.10 €9.03
-2.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.89 €1.69
-15.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.02 €1.81
36.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Saue
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$3.65 €3.27
30.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$1.00 €0.89
225.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$26.84 €24.00
-79.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$2.01 €1.80
-23.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$28.0K €25.0K
-24.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$29.6K €26.5K
-21.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Saue
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$310 €277
-73.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$17.54 €15.68
32.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$31.83 €28.47
-13.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Saue
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$11.58 €10.36
-56.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Saue
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$470 €420
-55.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$10.2K €9,151
-48.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Saue
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$100 €89.8
-56.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$48.01 €42.93
-11.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$103 €92.0
-29.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$118 €106
-25.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Saue
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Saue
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.44
232.85%

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 Saue: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Saue
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Saue
$267 3.8% $9.7
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Saue
$282 40.6% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Saue
$360 168% $225
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Saue
$166 49.6% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Saue
$23 * 65.1% $43
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Saue
$8.7 * 82.9% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $70 in Saue. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $267 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇪🇪 Saue
🕒 Local time
17:03 5:03 PM
00:03 12:03 AM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
5,810
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Saue 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Saue

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 Saue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Saue cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,660 in Saue. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Saue?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,107 in Saue. That makes Saue about 8% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $470 in Saue. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Saue?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,107 in Saue, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Saue?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,107 in Saue to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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