Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Rafti and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,326 in Porto Rafti, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Porto Rafti, Greece
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Porto Rafti
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,326
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,326 per month in Porto Rafti vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Porto Rafti $1,326
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,045 per month in Porto Rafti vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Porto Rafti $2,045
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,765 per month in Porto Rafti vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Porto Rafti $2,765
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Porto Rafti costs about 10% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Porto Rafti and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Porto Rafti 3% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Porto Rafti
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.32 €10.17
$10.92 MX$204
3.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.6 €51.7
$43.37 MX$808
32.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.96 €8.05
$11.78 MX$220
-23.94%
Cappuccino
$4.33 €3.89
$3.81 MX$71.0
13.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$1.28 MX$23.90
78.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.48
$0.78 MX$14.59
-30.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 €3.98
$3.17 MX$59.0
39.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.05 €4.53
$4.93 MX$92.0
2.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Porto Rafti
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 €1.49
$1.41 MX$26.22
17.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.10 €0.99
$2.22 MX$41.33
-50.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 €1.96
$1.42 MX$26.42
53.52%
Eggs
$4.72 €4.24
$2.52 MX$47.03
87.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.23 €10.99
$7.26 MX$135
68.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.97 €8.95
$7.70 MX$143
29.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.54 €12.16
$12.69 MX$237
6.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.16 €1.94
$2.78 MX$51.9
-22.30%
Banana (1kg)
$2.13 €1.91
$1.37 MX$25.50
55.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.69 €1.51
$2.55 MX$47.55
-33.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 €1.82
$2.12 MX$39.58
-4.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 €0.99
$1.94 MX$36.13
-42.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 €1.02
$1.89 MX$35.16
-39.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.91 €0.82
$1.15 MX$21.37
-20.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 €0.48
$1.18 MX$21.98
-55.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 €4.65
$4.30 MX$80.1
20.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.18 €6.45
$9.95 MX$185
-27.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 €1.49
$1.58 MX$29.52
4.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 €1.99
$2.67 MX$49.79
-16.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Porto Rafti
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.39 €1.25
$0.55 MX$10.31
152.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.75 €44.69
$26.62 MX$496
86.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.36 €3.91
$4.97 MX$92.6
-12.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.15 €1.03
$3.33 MX$62.1
-65.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.90 €15.19
$5.36 MX$99.8
215.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 €1.79
$1.44 MX$26.92
38.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €25.1K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
35.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K €21.4K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
1.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Porto Rafti
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$149 €134
$84.8 MX$1,581
75.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.00 €19.77
$23.41 MX$436
-6.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.28 €24.51
$28.66 MX$534
-4.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Porto Rafti
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.7 €45.53
$57.1 MX$1,063
-11.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.04 €21.59
$28.91 MX$539
-16.85%
Cinema Ticket
$9.23 €8.29
$5.14 MX$95.8
79.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Porto Rafti
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$468 €420
$207 MX$3,851
126.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,655 €4,181
$3,927 MX$73.2K
18.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Porto Rafti
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.4 €74.9
$43.35 MX$808
92.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.40 €24.61
$41.44 MX$772
-33.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.4 €74.1
$74.2 MX$1,383
11.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 €98.6
$89.3 MX$1,664
22.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Porto Rafti
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$489 €439
$980 MX$18.3K
-50.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$378 €340
$381 MX$7,099
-0.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$730 €656
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-57.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 €543
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-43.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,738 €4,256
$3,943 MX$73.5K
20.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,988 €1,786
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-67.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Porto Rafti
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$837 €752
$735 MX$13.7K
13.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.38
11.45
-61.75%

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

Last update for Porto Rafti: October 27, 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
Porto Rafti
$378
Playa del Carmen
$381 0.6% $2.4
Groceries & Markets
Porto Rafti
$265
Playa del Carmen
$255 4% $11
Eating Out
Porto Rafti
$213
Playa del Carmen
$202 5% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Porto Rafti
$198
Playa del Carmen
$137 31% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Porto Rafti
$136
Playa del Carmen
$112 18.1% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Porto Rafti
$69
Playa del Carmen
$67 2.6% $1.8
Getting Around
Porto Rafti
$65
Playa del Carmen
$50 22.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $489 in Porto Rafti 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 14% higher in Porto Rafti. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Porto Rafti versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Porto Rafti
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
18:04 6:04 PM
11:04 11:04 AM
7 h behind Porto Rafti
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
10,526
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Porto Rafti Playa del Carmen 10,320 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Porto Rafti
  • 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
Porto Rafti vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Porto Rafti?
Yes – Porto Rafti is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,989 per month in Porto Rafti and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Porto Rafti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $489 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Porto Rafti and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,326 in Porto Rafti and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 10%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 46% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough for either Porto Rafti or Playa del Carmen?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,326 in Porto Rafti and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Porto Rafti or in Playa del Carmen?
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 $1,326 in Porto Rafti. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Porto Rafti makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Porto Rafti vs other spots: cost of living compared

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