Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rhodes and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,732 in Rhodes, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Rhodes
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Rhodes Living Index
58

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

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Rhodes

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,732

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,732 per month in Rhodes vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rhodes $1,732
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,687 per month in Rhodes vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rhodes $2,687
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,642 per month in Rhodes vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rhodes $3,642
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Rhodes costs about 44% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Rhodes sits 27% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.78 €16.83

$10.92 MX$205

71.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €61.1

$43.37 MX$815

57.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 €8.35

$11.78 MX$221

-20.97%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.92

$3.81 MX$71.6

14.70%

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

$2.51 €2.25

$1.28 MX$24.10

96.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.78 MX$14.71

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 €4.92

$3.17 MX$59.5

73.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.56

$4.93 MX$92.7

-19.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.41 MX$26.43

54.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 €1.64

$2.22 MX$41.66

-17.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.17 €4.63

$1.42 MX$26.64

264.08%

Eggs

$6.17 €5.53

$2.52 MX$47.41

144.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.04 €14.37

$7.26 MX$137

120.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.42 €10.24

$7.70 MX$145

48.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.80

$12.69 MX$239

47.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.78 MX$52.3

-20.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.37 MX$25.71

56.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.55 MX$47.94

-42.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.12 MX$39.90

15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.94 MX$36.43

-13.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.89 MX$35.44

-0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.15 MX$21.55

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.67

$1.18 MX$22.16

-37.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 €4.71

$4.30 MX$80.7

22.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.10

$9.95 MX$187

-20.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.58 MX$29.76

66.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.67 MX$50.2

-37.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.19

$0.55 MX$10.40

345.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 €65.9

$26.62 MX$500

176.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.06

$4.97 MX$93.4

-31.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$3.33 MX$62.6

-55.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.22 €10.05

$5.36 MX$101

109.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.44 MX$27.14

52.08%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

36.96%

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

$26.3K €23.6K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

12.10%

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

$220 €197

$84.8 MX$1,594

159.54%

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

$26.46 €23.71

$23.41 MX$440

13.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.62 €26.54

$28.66 MX$539

3.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.3 €54.0

$57.1 MX$1,072

5.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.13 €35.07

$28.91 MX$543

35.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.99

$5.14 MX$96.6

73.35%

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

$468 €419

$207 MX$3,882

126.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,190 €8,235

$3,927 MX$73.8K

133.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$150 €134

$43.35 MX$815

245.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.70 €30.20

$41.44 MX$779

-18.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$74.2 MX$1,394

53.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €146

$89.3 MX$1,677

83.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 €501

$980 MX$18.4K

-42.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 €405

$381 MX$7,157

18.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €923

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-39.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 €692

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-28.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,671 €3,289

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-6.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,742 €1,561

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-71.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 €1,202

$735 MX$13.8K

82.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.53

11.45

-60.44%

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

Last update for Rhodes: 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

Rhodes

$452 26.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 15.7% $71

Groceries & Markets

Rhodes

$344 19.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 26% $89

Eating Out

Rhodes

$280 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rhodes

$276 16%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.4% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Rhodes

$207 12%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 46.1% $96

Getting Around

Rhodes

$94 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 46.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rhodes

$78 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $559 in Rhodes 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 83% higher in Rhodes. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Rhodes versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Rhodes

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

01:08 1:08 AM

7 h behind Rhodes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,128

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 →

On the map

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Rhodes Playa del Carmen 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Rhodes
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

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

Yes – Rhodes is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,597 per month in Rhodes 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 Rhodes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $559 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,732 in Rhodes and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 64% 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 Rhodes at $1,732. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rhodes 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 $1,732 in Rhodes. 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, Rhodes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.