Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,436 in Saint-Etienne, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index
58

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

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $1,436
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,264 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $2,264
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,092 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $3,092
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Saint-Etienne costs about 19% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saint-Etienne sits 6% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.88

$10.92 MX$204

51.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.9

$43.37 MX$810

30.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.16

$11.78 MX$220

14.94%

Cappuccino

$2.07 €1.86

$3.81 MX$71.2

-45.67%

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

$3.42 €3.07

$1.28 MX$23.96

167.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$0.78 MX$14.63

117.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.55

$3.17 MX$59.2

59.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.16

$4.93 MX$92.2

16.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.41 MX$26.28

-8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.22 MX$41.43

-50.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.42 MX$26.48

47.18%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.74

$2.52 MX$47.14

21.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.28

$7.26 MX$136

134.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 €10.04

$7.70 MX$144

45.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 €14.69

$12.69 MX$237

28.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.94

$2.78 MX$52.0

17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.37 MX$25.56

85.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.55 MX$47.66

-3.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.12 MX$39.67

27.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.94 MX$36.22

-19.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.89 MX$35.24

-8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.15 MX$21.42

-4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.18 MX$22.03

94.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 €10.91

$4.30 MX$80.3

182.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 €9.11

$9.95 MX$186

1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.99

$1.58 MX$29.59

110.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.93

$2.67 MX$49.91

22.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.55 MX$10.34

229.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.87 €35.82

$26.62 MX$497

49.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.54

$4.97 MX$92.9

-43.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.44 MX$26.98

46.53%

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

$20.1K €18.0K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

-2.82%

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

$32.0K €28.7K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

36.28%

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

$164 €148

$84.8 MX$1,584

93.81%

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

$29.01 €26.07

$23.41 MX$437

23.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 €17.11

$28.66 MX$535

-33.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 €26.83

$57.1 MX$1,066

-47.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.61 €5.94

$28.91 MX$540

-77.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.88

$5.14 MX$96.0

92.41%

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

$996 €895

$207 MX$3,860

381.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.2K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

302.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 €64.8

$43.35 MX$810

66.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.47 €27.38

$41.44 MX$774

-26.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$74.2 MX$1,386

38.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$89.3 MX$1,668

68.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$980 MX$18.3K

-47.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 €332

$381 MX$7,116

-2.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €785

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-48.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 €643

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-33.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,677 €1,506

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-57.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,619 €1,455

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-73.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,255 €2,026

$735 MX$13.7K

207.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

11.45

-67.95%

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

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 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-Etienne

$370 25.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 2.9% $11

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 24.8% $84

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 20.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 35.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 30.3% $49

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 35.6% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $515 in Saint-Etienne 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-Etienne are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Saint-Etienne versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

08:05 8:05 AM

6 h behind Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Saint-Etienne Playa del Carmen 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Saint-Etienne is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,154 per month in Saint-Etienne 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 Saint-Etienne, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $515 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,436 in Saint-Etienne and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 19%.

Public transport costs about 33% 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 $1,436 in Saint-Etienne. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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