Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Denis and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,791 in Saint-Denis, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Saint-Denis

🇷🇪 Reunion

$1,791

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,791 per month in Saint-Denis vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint-Denis $1,791
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,170 per month in Saint-Denis vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint-Denis $3,170
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,549 per month in Saint-Denis vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint-Denis $4,549
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Saint-Denis costs about 49% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saint-Denis sits 32% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.21 €11.84

$10.92 MX$205

20.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 €70.5

$43.37 MX$815

81.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.42 €13.82

$11.78 MX$221

30.90%

Cappuccino

$3.66 €3.28

$3.81 MX$71.6

-3.94%

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

$2.62 €2.35

$1.28 MX$24.10

104.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.27

$0.78 MX$14.71

224.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.98

$3.17 MX$59.5

4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.30

$4.93 MX$92.7

-2.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.41 MX$26.43

22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.42 MX$26.64

110.56%

Eggs

$4.71 €4.22

$2.52 MX$47.41

86.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.23 €18.13

$7.26 MX$137

178.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.98

$7.70 MX$145

73.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.95 €30.42

$12.69 MX$239

167.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 €5.11

$2.12 MX$39.90

168.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

Onion (1kg)

$4.42 €3.96

$1.89 MX$35.44

133.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.15 MX$21.55

95.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.18 MX$22.16

61.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 €9.99

$4.30 MX$80.7

159.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 €10.89

$9.95 MX$187

22.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.08

$1.58 MX$29.76

117.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 €3.01

$2.67 MX$50.2

25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 €2.26

$0.55 MX$10.40

358.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.66 €38.23

$26.62 MX$500

60.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.44 MX$27.14

33.33%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$147 €132

$84.8 MX$1,594

73.65%

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

$17.33 €15.53

$23.41 MX$440

-25.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.64 €39.10

$28.66 MX$539

52.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.02 €33.17

$57.1 MX$1,072

-35.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.24 €11.86

$28.91 MX$543

-54.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 €10.12

$5.14 MX$96.6

119.84%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 €129

$43.35 MX$815

232.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €112

$74.2 MX$1,394

68.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.2

$89.3 MX$1,677

23.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 €813

$980 MX$18.4K

-7.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$662 €593

$381 MX$7,157

73.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 €1,344

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-12.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 €1,708

$1,075 MX$20.2K

77.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,126 €1,905

$735 MX$13.8K

189.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Saint-Denis: 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

Saint-Denis

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Denis

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Saint-Denis

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Denis

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Denis

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Denis

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Saint-Denis

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $907 in Saint-Denis 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 in Saint-Denis are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Saint-Denis versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $395 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇪 Saint-Denis

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

05:42 5:42 AM

9 h behind Saint-Denis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,765 Capital

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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint-Denis Playa del Carmen 16,130 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Denis
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

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

Yes – Saint-Denis is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,686 per month in Saint-Denis and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $907 in Saint-Denis and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,791 in Saint-Denis and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 33% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Saint-Denis and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Saint-Denis at $1,791. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint-Denis 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 $1,791 in Saint-Denis. 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, Saint-Denis makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.