Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ponta Delgada and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,660 in Ponta Delgada, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
Learn more

Ponta Delgada Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,660

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ponta Delgada and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ponta Delgada and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,660 per month in Ponta Delgada vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ponta Delgada $1,660
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,363 per month in Ponta Delgada vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ponta Delgada $2,363
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,067 per month in Ponta Delgada vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ponta Delgada $3,067
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ponta Delgada costs about 38% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ponta Delgada sits 22% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.61 €12.23

$10.92 MX$204

24.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 €40.27

$43.37 MX$808

3.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 €9.63

$11.78 MX$220

-9.00%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.65

$3.81 MX$71.0

-51.71%

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

$1.83 €1.65

$1.28 MX$23.90

42.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.66

$0.78 MX$14.59

135.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 €2.83

$3.17 MX$59.0

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 €3.23

$4.93 MX$92.0

-26.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 €0.84

$1.41 MX$26.22

-34.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.22 MX$41.33

-28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.42 MX$26.42

26.06%

Eggs

$3.09 €2.77

$2.52 MX$47.03

22.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €15.07

$7.26 MX$135

131.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 €10.20

$7.70 MX$143

47.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 €15.34

$12.69 MX$237

34.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.78 MX$51.9

-15.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.37 MX$25.50

21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.55 MX$47.55

-14.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$2.12 MX$39.58

46.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.39

$1.94 MX$36.13

-20.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.89 MX$35.16

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.15 MX$21.37

143.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.18 MX$21.98

-9.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 €4.60

$4.30 MX$80.1

19.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.79 €5.20

$9.95 MX$185

-41.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$1.58 MX$29.52

49.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.81

$2.67 MX$49.79

17.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$0.55 MX$10.31

201.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 €50.4

$26.62 MX$496

110.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 €4.95

$4.97 MX$92.6

10.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$3.33 MX$62.1

-57.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €5.15

$5.36 MX$99.8

7.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.44 MX$26.92

37.50%

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

$33.7K €30.3K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

63.02%

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

$39.1K €35.2K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

66.78%

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

$143 €128

$84.8 MX$1,581

68.57%

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

$18.68 €16.78

$23.41 MX$436

-20.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.32 €38.91

$28.66 MX$534

51.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.39 €29.99

$57.1 MX$1,063

-41.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.50 €17.52

$28.91 MX$539

-32.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 €8.30

$5.14 MX$95.8

79.77%

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

$285 €256

$207 MX$3,851

37.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,594 €5,923

$3,927 MX$73.2K

67.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.31 €42.50

$43.35 MX$808

9.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.91 €30.47

$41.44 MX$772

-18.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.9 €59.2

$74.2 MX$1,383

-11.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$89.3 MX$1,664

52.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,034

$980 MX$18.3K

17.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €619

$381 MX$7,099

80.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,259

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-17.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €837

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-13.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,033 €3,623

$3,943 MX$73.5K

2.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,977 €2,674

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-51.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,387 €1,246

$735 MX$13.7K

88.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

11.45

-67.60%

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

Last update for Ponta Delgada: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ponta Delgada

$689 41.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 44.7% $308

Groceries & Markets

Ponta Delgada

$310 18.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 17.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ponta Delgada

$205 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 33.2% $68

Eating Out

Ponta Delgada

$201 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 0.8% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ponta Delgada

$128 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.4% $16

Getting Around

Ponta Delgada

$75 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 33% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 29.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,152 in Ponta Delgada versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 89% higher in Ponta Delgada. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Ponta Delgada versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

09:12 9:12 AM

4 h behind Ponta Delgada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,233

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ponta Delgada Playa del Carmen 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ponta Delgada
Playa del Carmen

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

Ponta Delgada vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,489 per month in Ponta Delgada and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,152 in Ponta Delgada.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,660 in Ponta Delgada and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 38%.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Ponta Delgada at $1,660. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ponta Delgada it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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