Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roquetas de Mar and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Roquetas de Mar
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Roquetas de Mar Living Index
58

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

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Roquetas de Mar

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,431

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,431 per month in Roquetas de Mar vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roquetas de Mar $1,431
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,071 per month in Roquetas de Mar vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roquetas de Mar $2,071
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,710 per month in Roquetas de Mar vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roquetas de Mar $2,710
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Roquetas de Mar costs about 19% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Roquetas de Mar sits 5% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.86

$10.92 MX$205

52.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.60

$43.37 MX$814

27.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 €9.34

$11.78 MX$221

-11.46%

Cappuccino

$1.96 €1.76

$3.81 MX$71.5

-48.56%

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

$2.77 €2.48

$1.28 MX$24.07

116.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.78 MX$14.70

119.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.22 €3.78

$3.17 MX$59.5

33.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$4.93 MX$92.7

-8.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.41 MX$26.40

-10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.22 MX$41.62

-27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.42 MX$26.61

29.58%

Eggs

$3.64 €3.26

$2.52 MX$47.36

44.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.80 €14.15

$7.26 MX$136

117.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 €8.25

$7.70 MX$144

19.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.36 €11.97

$12.69 MX$238

5.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.78 MX$52.3

-5.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.37 MX$25.68

32.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.55 MX$47.89

-38.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.12 MX$39.86

12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.94 MX$36.39

-1.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.89 MX$35.41

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.15 MX$21.53

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$1.18 MX$22.13

-40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.62

$4.30 MX$80.6

45.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 €4.78

$9.95 MX$187

-46.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.58 MX$29.73

-30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.67 MX$50.1

-35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.55 MX$10.39

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.93 €30.39

$26.62 MX$500

27.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.87 €7.05

$4.97 MX$93.3

58.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.10

$3.33 MX$62.5

-63.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.04 €16.16

$5.36 MX$101

236.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.69

$1.44 MX$27.11

30.56%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

67.75%

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

$31.5K €28.2K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

34.14%

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

$134 €120

$84.8 MX$1,592

57.70%

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

$15.92 €14.26

$23.41 MX$439

-31.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.37 €23.61

$28.66 MX$538

-7.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.37 €32.58

$57.1 MX$1,071

-36.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$8.62 €7.72

$5.14 MX$96.5

67.70%

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

$397 €356

$207 MX$3,878

92.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,445

$3,927 MX$73.7K

168.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.0 €65.4

$43.35 MX$814

68.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.21 €31.54

$41.44 MX$778

-15.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 €85.1

$74.2 MX$1,393

28.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$89.3 MX$1,676

33.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 €502

$980 MX$18.4K

-42.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 €448

$381 MX$7,150

31.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 €697

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-54.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €528

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-45.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,977 €1,770

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-49.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,648 €1,476

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-73.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,310 €1,174

$735 MX$13.8K

78.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

11.45

-72.23%

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

Last update for Roquetas de Mar: 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

Roquetas de Mar

$500 34.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 23.8% $119

Groceries & Markets

Roquetas de Mar

$269 18.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 5.4% $15

Eating Out

Roquetas de Mar

$236 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 14.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roquetas de Mar

$176 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 22.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Roquetas de Mar

$145 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Roquetas de Mar

$54 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 25.6% $14

Getting Around

Roquetas de Mar

$52 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $560 in Roquetas de Mar 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 78% higher in Roquetas de Mar. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Roquetas de Mar versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Roquetas de Mar

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

01:25 1:25 AM

6 h behind Roquetas de Mar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,510

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Roquetas de Mar Playa del Carmen 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Roquetas de Mar
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

Roquetas de Mar vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roquetas de Mar is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,147 per month in Roquetas de Mar 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 Roquetas de Mar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $560 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 16% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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 $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar. 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, Roquetas de Mar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.