Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Protaras and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,021 in Protaras, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Protaras
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Protaras Living Index
58

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

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Protaras

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,021

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,021 per month in Protaras vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Protaras $2,021
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,018 per month in Protaras vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Protaras $3,018
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,015 per month in Protaras vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Protaras $4,015
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Protaras costs about 68% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Protaras sits 49% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 €20.04

$10.92 MX$205

104.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 €69.8

$43.37 MX$815

79.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 €8.18

$11.78 MX$221

-22.50%

Cappuccino

$3.85 €3.45

$3.81 MX$71.6

1.05%

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

$1.92 €1.72

$1.28 MX$24.10

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$0.78 MX$14.71

61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 €4.63

$3.17 MX$59.5

63.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.91

$4.93 MX$92.7

11.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.41 MX$26.43

41.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 €2.22

$2.22 MX$41.66

11.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 €2.70

$1.42 MX$26.64

111.97%

Eggs

$4.63 €4.15

$2.52 MX$47.41

83.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.37 €11.98

$7.26 MX$137

84.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 €8.71

$7.70 MX$145

26.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 €12.28

$12.69 MX$239

8.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 €3.14

$2.78 MX$52.3

25.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.37 MX$25.71

72.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.63

$2.55 MX$47.94

14.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 €3.40

$2.12 MX$39.90

78.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.94 MX$36.43

3.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.89 MX$35.44

-14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.15 MX$21.55

11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.18 MX$22.16

-9.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 €5.90

$4.30 MX$80.7

53.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.76 €7.85

$9.95 MX$187

-11.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.58 MX$29.76

18.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.56

$2.67 MX$50.2

7.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 €2.00

$0.55 MX$10.40

305.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.75

$26.62 MX$500

104.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.98 €8.94

$4.97 MX$93.4

100.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.33 MX$62.6

-30.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.09 €19.79

$5.36 MX$101

312.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.44 MX$27.14

18.75%

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

$30.9K €27.7K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

49.69%

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

$31.2K €27.9K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

32.85%

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

$241 €216

$84.8 MX$1,594

183.77%

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

$20.38 €18.26

$23.41 MX$440

-12.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.60 €29.21

$28.66 MX$539

13.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 €69.3

$57.1 MX$1,072

35.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.75 €19.49

$28.91 MX$543

-24.77%

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 €11.95

$5.14 MX$96.6

159.34%

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

$687 €616

$207 MX$3,882

232.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,438

$3,927 MX$73.8K

168.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.0 €86.9

$43.35 MX$815

123.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 €45.86

$41.44 MX$779

23.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.7

$74.2 MX$1,394

48.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$89.3 MX$1,677

30.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 €645

$980 MX$18.4K

-26.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$741 €664

$381 MX$7,157

94.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 €1,477

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-3.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 €1,025

$1,075 MX$20.2K

6.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,454 €3,095

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-12.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 €1,973

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-64.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

11.45

-65.68%

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

Last update for Protaras: 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

Protaras

$741 36.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 48.6% $360

Groceries & Markets

Protaras

$327 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 22.2% $73

Eating Out

Protaras

$302 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 33% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Protaras

$294 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 53.4% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Protaras

$169 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 33.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Protaras

$104 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 35.3% $37

Getting Around

Protaras

$85 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 40.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $720 in Protaras 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Protaras versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Protaras

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

19:31 7:31 PM

7 h behind Protaras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,230

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Protaras Playa del Carmen 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Protaras
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

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

Yes – Protaras is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,032 per month in Protaras 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 Protaras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $720 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,021 in Protaras and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 51% 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 Protaras at $2,021. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Protaras it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $2,021 in Protaras. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.