Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rouen and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,709 in Rouen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Rouen
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Rouen Living Index
59

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

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Rouen

🇫🇷 France

$1,709

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,709 per month in Rouen vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rouen $1,709
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,608 per month in Rouen vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rouen $2,608
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,507 per month in Rouen vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rouen $3,507
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Rouen costs about 41% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rouen sits 27% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.94

$10.76 MX$198

55.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.9

$43.03 MX$794

53.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.29 €10.07

$11.79 MX$217

-4.24%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.91

$3.87 MX$71.3

-15.76%

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

$3.61 €3.22

$1.37 MX$25.24

163.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$0.84 MX$15.41

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 €6.39

$3.10 MX$57.2

131.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.88

$5.07 MX$93.4

29.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.44 MX$26.49

2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.23 MX$41.15

-49.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.47 MX$27.12

44.22%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.26

$2.53 MX$46.62

44.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.91 €15.97

$7.30 MX$135

145.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 €8.32

$7.86 MX$145

18.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.54 €23.67

$12.79 MX$236

107.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.90 MX$53.5

-13.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$1.44 MX$26.48

105.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.55 MX$46.98

-4.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.86

$2.06 MX$37.95

55.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.00 MX$36.90

1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.01 MX$36.99

-26.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.19 MX$21.97

6.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$1.26 MX$23.18

-65.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.30 €12.75

$4.40 MX$81.2

225.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 €6.07

$9.59 MX$177

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.59 MX$29.35

61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.81 MX$51.8

12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 €1.83

$0.57 MX$10.44

259.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.42 €43.17

$27.82 MX$513

74.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 €7.76

$4.98 MX$91.9

74.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.12

$3.50 MX$64.5

-64.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.60

$5.40 MX$99.6

514.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.47 MX$27.02

40.82%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$21.0K MX$387.0K

66.48%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$23.9K MX$440.9K

49.32%

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

$210 €187

$84.2 MX$1,553

149.16%

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

$23.13 €20.62

$23.99 MX$442

-3.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.52 €35.23

$29.02 MX$535

36.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.66 €38.04

$63.0 MX$1,162

-32.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.77 €14.95

$29.14 MX$537

-42.45%

Cinema Ticket

$14.56 €12.98

$4.94 MX$91.2

194.74%

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

$883 €788

$204 MX$3,755

333.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,874 €8,804

$3,941 MX$72.7K

150.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 €75.1

$43.60 MX$804

93.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$795

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 €84.4

$75.8 MX$1,397

24.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.4

$88.6 MX$1,634

19.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €601

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-33.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 €486

$374 MX$6,898

45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,100

$1,708 MX$31.5K

-27.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 €824

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-16.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,871 €3,451

$3,944 MX$72.7K

-1.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,327 €2,075

$6,169 MX$113.8K

-62.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,530 €2,255

$754 MX$13.9K

235.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

11.45

-66.72%

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

Last update for Rouen: 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

Rouen

$545 31.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 31.4% $171

Groceries & Markets

Rouen

$337 19.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 23.3% $79

Eating Out

Rouen

$283 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 28.5% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rouen

$272 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 49.6% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Rouen

$128 * 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 11.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Rouen

$72 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 1.5% $1.1

Getting Around

Rouen

$72 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 26.6% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $674 in Rouen 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 235% higher in Rouen, 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 Rouen versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rouen

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

22:45 10:45 PM

7 h behind Rouen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,083

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.42 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 18.44 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.68 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rouen Playa del Carmen 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rouen
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

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

Yes – Rouen is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,564 per month in Rouen 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 $1,709 in Rouen and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 41%.

Public transport costs about 74% 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 Rouen at $1,709. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rouen 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, Rouen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.