Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,998 per month in Rome vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rome $1,998
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,117 per month in Rome vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rome $3,117
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,236 per month in Rome vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rome $4,236
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Rome costs about 65% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rome sits 48% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$10.76 MX$199

55.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$43.03 MX$795

52.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$11.79 MX$218

-6.02%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$3.87 MX$71.4

-45.74%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$1.37 MX$25.29

112.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.84 MX$15.44

76.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$3.10 MX$57.3

81.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 €5.94

$5.07 MX$93.6

31.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.44 MX$26.55

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.23 MX$41.23

1.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.47 MX$27.17

103.40%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.23

$2.53 MX$46.71

87.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.92

$7.30 MX$135

99.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 €11.24

$7.86 MX$145

60.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 €17.67

$12.79 MX$236

55.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.90 MX$53.6

-8.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.44 MX$26.53

58.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.55 MX$47.07

-3.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.06 MX$38.03

17.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$2.00 MX$36.97

-31.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.01 MX$37.07

-22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.19 MX$22.02

10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.26 MX$23.23

-56.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.50

$4.40 MX$81.4

66.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$9.59 MX$177

-43.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.59 MX$29.41

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.81 MX$51.9

-6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.57 MX$10.47

185.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

$27.82 MX$514

41.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 €5.79

$4.98 MX$92.1

30.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.50

$3.50 MX$64.6

-52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.24 €29.57

$5.40 MX$99.8

515.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.47 MX$27.08

47.62%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

68.44%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

48.17%

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

$203 €181

$84.2 MX$1,556

141.02%

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

$11.50 €10.22

$23.99 MX$443

-52.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 €28.49

$29.02 MX$536

10.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 €58.6

$63.0 MX$1,164

4.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.89 €20.36

$29.14 MX$539

-21.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$4.94 MX$91.3

127.33%

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

$484 €430

$204 MX$3,763

137.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

319.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 €63.1

$43.60 MX$806

62.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.51 €32.47

$43.12 MX$797

-15.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.5

$75.8 MX$1,400

12.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$88.6 MX$1,637

37.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 €1,087

$1,008 MX$18.6K

21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 €784

$374 MX$6,911

135.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 €2,257

$1,708 MX$31.6K

48.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 €1,530

$1,106 MX$20.4K

55.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 €7,360

$3,944 MX$72.9K

109.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,084 €2,743

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-50.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,942 €1,728

$754 MX$13.9K

157.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

11.45

-69.26%

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

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$881 44.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 57.6% $507

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$329 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 21.5% $71

Eating Out

Rome

$251 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 19.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 44.3% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$141 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 20.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 17.5% $15

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 13.4% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,222 in Rome versus $1,008 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 158% higher in Rome, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Rome versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

05:48 5:48 AM

7 h behind Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rome Playa del Carmen 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome
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

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

Yes – Rome is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,998 per month in Rome and $1,816 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,998 in Rome and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 65%.

Public transport costs about 41% 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 $1,210, than in Rome at $1,998. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rome 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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