Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portimao and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,530 in Portimao, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Portimao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Portimao
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Portimao Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Portimao

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,530

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portimao 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 Portimao and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,530 per month in Portimao vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Portimao $1,530
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,351 per month in Portimao vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Portimao $2,351
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,172 per month in Portimao vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Portimao $3,172
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Portimao costs about 26% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Portimao sits 13% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.32 €11.85

$10.76 MX$199

23.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 €59.9

$43.03 MX$795

56.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 €9.32

$11.79 MX$218

-11.20%

Cappuccino

$1.77 €1.57

$3.87 MX$71.4

-54.26%

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

$2.12 €1.88

$1.37 MX$25.29

54.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.41

$0.84 MX$15.44

89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 €2.21

$3.10 MX$57.3

-19.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 €3.79

$5.07 MX$93.6

-15.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.44 MX$26.55

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.23 MX$41.23

-26.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.47 MX$27.17

13.61%

Eggs

$3.11 €2.77

$2.53 MX$46.71

22.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 €10.27

$7.30 MX$135

58.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.33 €6.52

$7.86 MX$145

-6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 €9.54

$12.79 MX$236

-16.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.90 MX$53.6

-23.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.44 MX$26.53

6.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.55 MX$47.07

-46.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.06 MX$38.03

12.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.00 MX$36.97

2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.01 MX$37.07

8.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.19 MX$22.02

29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$1.26 MX$23.23

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 €5.38

$4.40 MX$81.4

37.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$9.59 MX$177

-43.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.59 MX$29.41

-32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.81 MX$51.9

-13.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.57 MX$10.47

240.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.98 €24.00

$27.82 MX$514

-3.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 €3.05

$4.98 MX$92.1

-31.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$3.50 MX$64.6

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.55 €14.72

$5.40 MX$99.8

206.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.47 MX$27.08

44.90%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

58.17%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

58.61%

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

$110 €98.3

$84.2 MX$1,556

31.16%

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

$37.45 €33.31

$23.99 MX$443

56.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.48 €43.13

$29.02 MX$536

67.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.37 €42.14

$63.0 MX$1,164

-24.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 €18.94

$29.14 MX$539

-26.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.79 €6.92

$4.94 MX$91.3

57.69%

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

$204 MX$3,763

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,503 €4,005

$3,941 MX$72.8K

14.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 €46.56

$43.60 MX$806

20.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.91 €20.38

$43.12 MX$797

-46.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.69 €40.64

$75.8 MX$1,400

-39.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 €60.0

$88.6 MX$1,637

-23.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 €862

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-3.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 €634

$374 MX$6,911

90.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 €1,514

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-0.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 €1,093

$1,106 MX$20.4K

11.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,245 €3,776

$3,944 MX$72.9K

7.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 €2,884

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-47.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$985 €876

$754 MX$13.9K

30.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

11.45

-60.00%

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

Last update for Portimao: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portimao

$713 46.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 47.6% $339

Groceries & Markets

Portimao

$235 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 10.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portimao

$196 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 30.1% $59

Eating Out

Portimao

$195 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 3.7% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Portimao

$85 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 33.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Portimao

$63 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 15.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Portimao

$43 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 21% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $969 in Portimao versus $1,008 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 31% higher in Portimao, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Portimao versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Portimao vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Portimao wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Portimao

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

18:47 6:47 PM

6 h behind Portimao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,867

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portimao Playa del Carmen 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Portimao
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

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

Yes – Portimao is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,296 per month in Portimao and $1,816 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,530 in Portimao and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 26%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Portimao and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Portimao at $1,530. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portimao 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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