Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rethymno and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,358 in Rethymno, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rethymno outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index
58

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

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Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,358 per month in Rethymno vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rethymno $1,358
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Rethymno vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rethymno $2,031
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,703 per month in Rethymno vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rethymno $2,703
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Rethymno costs about 13% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.69 €11.40

$10.92 MX$204

16.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €50.4

$43.37 MX$808

29.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 €9.21

$11.78 MX$220

-12.99%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.18

$3.81 MX$71.0

-7.09%

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

$1.67 €1.50

$1.28 MX$23.90

30.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.78 MX$14.59

-25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.08

$3.17 MX$59.0

43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 €4.71

$4.93 MX$92.0

6.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.41 MX$26.22

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.09

$2.22 MX$41.33

-45.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.42 MX$26.42

59.15%

Eggs

$4.48 €4.02

$2.52 MX$47.03

77.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 €13.63

$7.26 MX$135

108.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 €8.69

$7.70 MX$143

25.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.43 €13.86

$12.69 MX$237

21.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.78 MX$51.9

-28.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.37 MX$25.50

45.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.55 MX$47.55

-51.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.53

$2.12 MX$39.58

-19.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.94 MX$36.13

-50.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.89 MX$35.16

-46.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.15 MX$21.37

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$1.18 MX$21.98

-37.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 €3.94

$4.30 MX$80.1

1.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.19

$9.95 MX$185

-30.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.58 MX$29.52

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.67 MX$49.79

-31.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.63

$0.55 MX$10.31

229.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.11

$4.97 MX$92.6

-7.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$3.33 MX$62.1

-65.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.38 €10.22

$5.36 MX$99.8

112.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.44 MX$26.92

53.47%

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

$22.4K €20.1K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

8.41%

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

$24.5K €22.0K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

4.50%

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

$191 €171

$84.8 MX$1,581

124.96%

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

$18.37 €16.50

$23.41 MX$436

-21.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.03 €27.88

$28.66 MX$534

8.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 €54.9

$57.1 MX$1,063

7.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 €7.60

$5.14 MX$95.8

64.59%

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

$366 €329

$207 MX$3,851

77.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,964 €3,561

$3,927 MX$73.2K

0.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €79.2

$43.35 MX$808

103.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.04 €9.91

$41.44 MX$772

-73.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.52 €39.99

$74.2 MX$1,383

-40.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.41 €39.90

$89.3 MX$1,664

-50.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 €492

$980 MX$18.3K

-44.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 €401

$381 MX$7,099

17.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 €820

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-46.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 €629

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-34.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,172 €3,748

$3,943 MX$73.5K

5.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,963 €2,662

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-51.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,201 €1,079

$735 MX$13.7K

63.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

11.45

-62.45%

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

Last update for Rethymno: October 26, 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

Rethymno

$447 32.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 14.8% $66

Groceries & Markets

Rethymno

$273 20.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 6.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rethymno

$240 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 43% $103

Eating Out

Rethymno

$217 16%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 6.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Rethymno

$85 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Rethymno

$78 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Rethymno

$18 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 188% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $548 in Rethymno 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 63% higher in Rethymno. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Rethymno versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

00:26 12:26 AM

7 h behind Rethymno

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,763

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Rethymno Playa del Carmen 10,490 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Rethymno
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

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

Yes – Rethymno is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,037 per month in Rethymno 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 Rethymno, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $548 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,358 in Rethymno and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $366 per month in Rethymno and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,358 in Rethymno and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 $1,358 in Rethymno. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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