Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,936 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,936

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,936 per month in Porto vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Porto $1,936
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,902 per month in Porto vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Porto $2,902
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,869 per month in Porto vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Porto $3,869
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Porto costs about 61% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Porto sits 43% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.53 €12.91

$10.67 MX$199

36.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.01

$43.80 MX$815

25.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €9.97

$11.79 MX$219

-4.83%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.45

$3.79 MX$70.5

-27.18%

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

$2.22 €1.98

$1.30 MX$24.14

70.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$0.83 MX$15.51

57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.90

$3.15 MX$58.6

3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.08

$4.93 MX$91.8

-6.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.41 MX$26.22

-19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.20 MX$40.86

-20.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.47 MX$27.40

Eggs

$4.09 €3.63

$2.50 MX$46.47

63.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 €10.33

$7.29 MX$136

59.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.16

$7.95 MX$148

-12.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 €14.79

$12.86 MX$239

29.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.90 MX$53.9

-23.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.38 MX$25.74

21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.49 MX$46.36

-24.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.03 MX$37.78

23.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.02 MX$37.69

-12.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.90 MX$35.42

-2.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.14 MX$21.30

40.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$1.24 MX$23.06

-39.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €5.99

$4.27 MX$79.5

58.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 €4.95

$9.81 MX$183

-43.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.59 MX$29.51

-15.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.75 MX$51.1

-2.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.41

$0.51 MX$9.58

211.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.07 €40.04

$27.39 MX$510

64.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.52

$4.76 MX$88.6

-16.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$3.25 MX$60.5

-74.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 €14.80

$5.39 MX$100

209.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.53 MX$28.44

41.83%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

57.17%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

55.79%

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

$163 €145

$83.5 MX$1,554

95.60%

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

$14.92 €13.26

$23.19 MX$431

-35.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.60 €30.73

$27.61 MX$514

25.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.69 €38.81

$56.4 MX$1,050

-22.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 €13.65

$28.19 MX$525

-45.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 €8.00

$5.00 MX$93.1

80.20%

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

$557 €495

$207 MX$3,854

168.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

121.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.7

$43.45 MX$809

140.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.84 €29.17

$42.54 MX$792

-22.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €83.3

$72.8 MX$1,354

28.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.0

$88.4 MX$1,645

15.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,177

$995 MX$18.5K

33.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 €862

$382 MX$7,116

153.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 €2,022

$1,674 MX$31.2K

35.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,514

$1,081 MX$20.1K

57.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,306 €4,713

$3,909 MX$72.7K

35.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,514

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-35.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,621 €1,440

$832 MX$15.5K

94.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

11.45

-68.21%

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

Last update for Porto: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto

$970 50.1%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 60.6% $588

Groceries & Markets

Porto

$259 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 0.7% $1.9

Eating Out

Porto

$223 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 10% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto

$213 11%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 36.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Porto

$150 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 25.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Porto

$62 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 7.7% $4.7

Getting Around

Porto

$59 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 15.2% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,325 in Porto versus $995 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 95% higher in Porto. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Porto versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Porto

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

14:36 2:36 PM

5 h behind Porto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,828

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Porto Playa del Carmen 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Porto is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,904 per month in Porto and $1,804 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 $995 there versus $1,325 in Porto.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,936 in Porto and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $557 per month in Porto and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Porto at $1,936. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Porto 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Porto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.