Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto del Rosario and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,586 in Puerto del Rosario, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Puerto del Rosario, Spain
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Puerto del Rosario
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,586
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Puerto del Rosario vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Puerto del Rosario $1,586
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,377 per month in Puerto del Rosario vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Puerto del Rosario $2,377
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,169 per month in Puerto del Rosario vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Puerto del Rosario $3,169
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Puerto del Rosario costs about 32% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Puerto del Rosario sits 17% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.58 €12.20
$10.92 MX$204
24.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.3 €61.3
$43.37 MX$808
57.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.85 €7.95
$11.78 MX$220
-24.87%
Cappuccino
$2.50 €2.24
$3.81 MX$71.0
-34.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.28 MX$23.90
71.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 €1.52
$0.78 MX$14.59
117.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 €2.84
$3.17 MX$59.0
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 €3.18
$4.93 MX$92.0
-28.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.41 MX$26.22
-18.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 €1.28
$2.22 MX$41.33
-35.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 €1.41
$1.42 MX$26.42
10.56%
Eggs
$3.31 €2.97
$2.52 MX$47.03
31.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.04 €10.82
$7.26 MX$135
65.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.08 €8.16
$7.70 MX$143
17.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.87 €16.06
$12.69 MX$237
40.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.60 €2.33
$2.78 MX$51.9
-6.47%
Banana (1kg)
$2.49 €2.23
$1.37 MX$25.50
81.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.27 €2.04
$2.55 MX$47.55
-10.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.12 MX$39.58
8.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.77 €1.59
$1.94 MX$36.13
-8.76%
Onion (1kg)
$2.41 €2.17
$1.89 MX$35.16
27.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.69 €1.52
$1.15 MX$21.37
46.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.48
$1.18 MX$21.98
-54.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.39 €3.94
$4.30 MX$80.1
2.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.59 €5.02
$9.95 MX$185
-43.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 €0.99
$1.58 MX$29.52
-30.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 €0.88
$2.67 MX$49.79
-63.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.60 €1.44
$0.55 MX$10.31
190.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$32.11 €28.84
$26.62 MX$496
20.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 €3.07
$4.97 MX$92.6
-31.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.21 €1.98
$3.33 MX$62.1
-33.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.50 €25.61
$5.36 MX$99.8
431.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.44 MX$26.92
4.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K €27.2K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
46.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.1K €28.0K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
32.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 €102
$84.8 MX$1,581
33.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.04 €10.82
$23.41 MX$436
-48.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.39 €25.51
$28.66 MX$534
-0.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.65 €41.00
$57.1 MX$1,063
-19.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.85 €14.23
$28.91 MX$539
-45.17%
Cinema Ticket
$8.76 €7.87
$5.14 MX$95.8
70.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$471 €423
$207 MX$3,851
128.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,610 €5,938
$3,927 MX$73.2K
68.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.6 €77.8
$43.35 MX$808
99.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.60 €33.77
$41.44 MX$772
-9.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.1 €81.9
$74.2 MX$1,383
22.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$89.3 MX$1,664
39.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$877 €788
$980 MX$18.3K
-10.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$689 €619
$381 MX$7,099
80.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,372 €1,232
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-19.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,009 €906
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-6.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,320 €2,982
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-15.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,175 €1,954
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-64.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Puerto del Rosario
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.15
11.45
-72.49%

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

Last update for Puerto del Rosario: 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
Puerto del Rosario
$689
Playa del Carmen
$381 44.7% $308
Groceries & Markets
Puerto del Rosario
$271
Playa del Carmen
$255 6% $16
Eating Out
Puerto del Rosario
$204
Playa del Carmen
$202 0.6% $1.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto del Rosario
$154
Playa del Carmen
$137 10.9% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Puerto del Rosario
$153
Playa del Carmen
$112 26.9% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Puerto del Rosario
$63
Playa del Carmen
$67 6.6% $4.1
Getting Around
Puerto del Rosario
$53
Playa del Carmen
$50 4.8% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $877 in Puerto del Rosario 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 $68 in Puerto del Rosario versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $271 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Puerto del Rosario
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
02:31 2:31 AM
21:31 9:31 PM
5 h behind Puerto del Rosario
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,390
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 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
  • Puerto del Rosario Playa del Carmen 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Puerto del Rosario
  • 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
Puerto del Rosario vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Puerto del Rosario?
Yes – Puerto del Rosario is pricier by about 32%, 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 $2,378 per month in Puerto del Rosario 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 Puerto del Rosario, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $877 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Puerto del Rosario and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Puerto del Rosario and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 24% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 17% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Puerto del Rosario or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Puerto del Rosario at $1,586. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puerto del Rosario it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Puerto del Rosario 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 $1,586 in Puerto del Rosario. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Puerto del Rosario vs other spots: cost of living compared

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