Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sparta

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,351 in Sparta, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Sparta
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Sparta Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sparta

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,351 in Sparta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sparta $1,351

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,993 in Sparta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sparta $1,993

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,636 in Sparta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sparta $2,636

Playa del Carmen is about 11% cheaper than Sparta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$9.87 €8.87

10.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$47.23 €42.43

-8.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.93 €7.13

48.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$3.34 €3.00

14.07%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$2.21 €1.99

-42.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$0.58 €0.52

34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$4.45 €3.99

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$4.42 €3.97

11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$1.65 €1.49

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$1.37 €1.23

62.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$2.54 €2.28

-44.09%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$5.14 €4.62

-50.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$12.34 €11.08

-41.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$10.26 €9.22

-24.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$15.84 €14.23

-19.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$2.23 €2.00

24.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$2.13 €1.92

-35.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$1.66 €1.49

53.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$2.01 €1.81

5.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$1.10 €0.99

76.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$1.17 €1.05

61.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$0.85 €0.77

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$1.15 €1.03

2.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$5.02 €4.51

-14.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$7.16 €6.43

38.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.81 €1.63

-12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$3.38 €3.04

-21.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$1.35 €1.21

-59.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

$53.1 €47.68

-49.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$4.38 €3.94

13.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$1.09 €0.98

205.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$12.50 €11.23

-57.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$2.17 €1.95

-33.64%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$24.5K €22.0K

-15.78%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$24.2K €21.7K

-2.99%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$169 €152

-49.80%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$22.61 €20.31

3.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$27.11 €24.36

5.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$50.4 €45.29

13.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

$36.41 €32.71

-20.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$9.38 €8.42

-45.20%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$233 €209

-11.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$2,794 €2,511

40.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$82.4 €74.0

-47.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$36.30 €32.61

14.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$80.5 €72.4

-7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$90.4 €81.2

-1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$494 €444

98.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$389 €349

-2.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$728 €654

134.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$504 €453

113.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

$2,483 €2,231

58.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$1,930 €1,734

219.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$937 €842

-21.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.38

161.42%

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 Sparta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sparta

$389 28.8% 2.1% $8

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sparta

$290 21.5% 14% $36

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sparta

$185 13.7% 8.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sparta

$219 16.2% 59.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sparta

$130 9.7% 16.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sparta

$69 5.1% 2.7% $1.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sparta

$68 5.1% 35.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $494 in Sparta. 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 28% higher in Sparta. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $47 in Sparta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $290 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Sparta

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

16,239

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sparta 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sparta

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 Sparta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sparta is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,026 in Sparta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sparta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $494 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,351 in Sparta. That’s a gap of about 12%.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,351 in Sparta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 $1,351 in Sparta. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sparta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.