Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samos and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,401 in Samos, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Samos
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Samos Living Index
57

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

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Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,401

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,401 per month in Samos vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Samos $1,401
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,081 per month in Samos vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Samos $2,081
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,760 per month in Samos vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Samos $2,760
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Samos costs about 17% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Samos sits 4% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.29 €10.06

$10.67 MX$198

5.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.33 €34.15

$43.80 MX$813

-12.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.78 €6.04

$11.79 MX$219

-42.49%

Cappuccino

$2.92 €2.60

$3.79 MX$70.3

-22.96%

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

$2.34 €2.08

$1.30 MX$24.07

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.83 MX$15.47

-2.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 €3.82

$3.15 MX$58.4

36.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 €5.76

$4.93 MX$91.6

31.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.41 MX$26.14

13.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.20 MX$40.75

-33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.47 MX$27.33

73.47%

Eggs

$4.59 €4.09

$2.50 MX$46.34

83.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.32 €11.86

$7.29 MX$135

82.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 €9.14

$7.95 MX$148

29.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 €13.39

$12.86 MX$239

16.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.90 MX$53.8

-26.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.38 MX$25.67

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.49 MX$46.23

-45.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.03 MX$37.67

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.02 MX$37.58

-41.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.90 MX$35.32

-42.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.14 MX$21.24

-3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.24 MX$22.99

-29.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 €4.91

$4.27 MX$79.3

29.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.17 €6.39

$9.81 MX$182

-26.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.59 MX$29.43

28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.75 MX$51.0

-4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.51 MX$9.56

160.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.61 €44.19

$27.39 MX$508

81.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 €3.77

$4.76 MX$88.4

-11.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$3.25 MX$60.3

-64.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.57 €14.76

$5.39 MX$100

207.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.53 MX$28.36

39.87%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$21.2K MX$393.7K

29.09%

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

$25.1K €22.3K

$23.3K MX$431.7K

7.78%

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

$199 €177

$83.5 MX$1,549

138.47%

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

$23.13 €20.61

$23.19 MX$430

-0.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.06

$27.61 MX$512

10.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.80

$56.4 MX$1,047

-8.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.31 €22.55

$28.19 MX$523

-10.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 €8.05

$5.00 MX$92.8

80.60%

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

$403 €359

$207 MX$3,843

94.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,025 €8,039

$5,231 MX$97.1K

72.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 €79.3

$43.45 MX$806

104.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.53 €35.21

$42.54 MX$789

-7.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 €83.0

$72.8 MX$1,350

28.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$88.4 MX$1,640

37.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 €437

$995 MX$18.5K

-50.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 €341

$382 MX$7,097

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 €647

$1,674 MX$31.1K

-56.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$598 €532

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-44.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,436 €2,170

$3,909 MX$72.5K

-37.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 €1,761

$6,138 MX$113.9K

-67.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 €901

$832 MX$15.4K

21.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.45

-60.87%

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

Last update for Samos: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samos

$382 27.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 0% $0

Groceries & Markets

Samos

$285 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 9.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samos

$253 18%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 46.8% $118

Eating Out

Samos

$193 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 4% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Samos

$154 11%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 28% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Samos

$69 5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 4.4% $3

Getting Around

Samos

$65 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 22.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $490 in Samos versus $995 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 21% higher in Samos. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Samos versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in Samos vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Samos

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

22:18 10:18 PM

7 h behind Samos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,814

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Samos Playa del Carmen 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Samos
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

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

Yes – Samos is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,102 per month in Samos and $1,804 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 Samos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $490 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,401 in Samos and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,401 in Samos. 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, Samos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.