Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roubaix and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,656 in Roubaix, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Roubaix
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Roubaix Living Index
59

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

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Roubaix

🇫🇷 France

$1,656

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Roubaix vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roubaix $1,656
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,580 per month in Roubaix vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roubaix $2,580
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,505 per month in Roubaix vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Roubaix $3,505
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Roubaix costs about 37% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Roubaix sits 22% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.16

$10.86 MX$201

67.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 €65.8

$44.21 MX$817

67.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.11

$11.76 MX$217

15.82%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$3.68 MX$68.0

4.08%

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

$3.19 €2.84

$1.34 MX$24.79

138.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.82 MX$15.24

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 €6.75

$3.06 MX$56.6

148.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$4.94 MX$91.2

14.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.47 MX$27.17

-22.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.22 MX$40.95

-28.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.48 MX$27.32

90.54%

Eggs

$2.04 €1.81

$2.49 MX$45.99

-18.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 €11.30

$7.52 MX$139

69.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 €8.01

$7.96 MX$147

13.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 €11.64

$12.57 MX$232

4.06%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 €0.88

$2.78 MX$51.3

-64.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.43 MX$26.37

-22.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.62 MX$48.37

-16.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.14 MX$39.49

26.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 €0.67

$2.02 MX$37.38

-62.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.99 MX$36.74

-53.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.14 MX$21.01

47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 €0.19

$1.20 MX$22.18

-81.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 €10.37

$4.26 MX$78.7

173.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.48 €7.55

$10.02 MX$185

-15.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.10

$1.54 MX$28.41

53.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.66 MX$49.17

60.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.53 MX$9.73

266.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.11 €42.80

$27.51 MX$508

74.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$4.90 MX$90.6

-54.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.43 MX$63.5

-37.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.07 €21.41

$5.38 MX$99.4

347.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.45 MX$26.76

42.76%

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

$28.3K €25.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

33.63%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

20.23%

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

$176 €157

$85.4 MX$1,577

106.75%

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

$15.18 €13.50

$23.46 MX$434

-35.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.56 €27.18

$28.43 MX$525

7.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.62 €31.68

$62.2 MX$1,149

-42.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 €9.76

$5.10 MX$94.3

115.10%

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

$629 €560

$201 MX$3,715

212.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,319 €7,399

$3,947 MX$72.9K

110.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.4

$44.39 MX$820

96.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 €35.76

$41.35 MX$764

-2.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.5

$72.7 MX$1,344

38.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.1

$89.6 MX$1,656

14.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €672

$979 MX$18.1K

-22.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 €537

$373 MX$6,887

62.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 €1,209

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-19.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €1,007

$1,095 MX$20.2K

3.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,519

$3,949 MX$73.0K

0.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,007 €2,675

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-51.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,761 €1,566

$738 MX$13.6K

138.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

11.45

-65.76%

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

Last update for Roubaix: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roubaix

$604 36.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 38.3% $231

Eating Out

Roubaix

$301 18.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 33.4% $101

Groceries & Markets

Roubaix

$254 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 1.8% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roubaix

$222 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 38.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Roubaix

$149 9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24.9% $37

Getting Around

Roubaix

$69 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 24.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Roubaix

$58 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 25.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Roubaix versus $979 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 139% higher in Roubaix, 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 $74.0 in Roubaix versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $254 in Roubaix vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Roubaix wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Roubaix

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

11:15 11:15 AM

7 h behind Roubaix

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,892

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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Roubaix Playa del Carmen 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Roubaix
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

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

Yes – Roubaix is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Roubaix 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 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 $1,656 in Roubaix and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 37%.

Public transport costs about 75% 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 Roubaix at $1,656. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roubaix 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, Roubaix makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.