Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pawl Il-bahar and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pawl Il-bahar
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San Pawl Il-bahar Living Index
59

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

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San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,697

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 San Pawl Il-bahar and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,697 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $1,697
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,593 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $2,593
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $3,489
Playa del Carmen $3,016

San Pawl Il-bahar costs about 40% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Pawl Il-bahar sits 26% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.57

$10.76 MX$199

83.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 €73.1

$43.03 MX$795

91.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$11.79 MX$218

-4.33%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.30

$3.87 MX$71.4

-33.33%

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

$2.47 €2.20

$1.37 MX$25.29

80.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.84 MX$15.44

132.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 €4.00

$3.10 MX$57.3

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.60

$5.07 MX$93.6

2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.44 MX$26.55

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$2.23 MX$41.23

-47.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$1.47 MX$27.17

159.86%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.22

$2.53 MX$46.71

43.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 €7.50

$7.30 MX$135

15.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 €6.89

$7.86 MX$145

-1.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 €8.37

$12.79 MX$236

-26.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.90 MX$53.6

2.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.44 MX$26.53

42.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$2.55 MX$47.07

14.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.06 MX$38.03

38.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.00 MX$36.97

-21.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.01 MX$37.07

-8.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.26 MX$23.23

-4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 €5.63

$4.40 MX$81.4

43.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 €7.38

$9.59 MX$177

-13.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.59 MX$29.41

-6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.81 MX$51.9

-28.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$0.57 MX$10.47

384.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.09

$4.98 MX$92.1

14.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.50 MX$64.6

-38.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 €23.58

$5.40 MX$99.8

390.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.47 MX$27.08

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

82.52%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

65.53%

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

$58.9 €52.4

$84.2 MX$1,556

-30.10%

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

$20.63 €18.35

$23.99 MX$443

-14.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.96 €35.54

$29.02 MX$536

37.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.65 €44.17

$63.0 MX$1,164

-21.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.51 €12.02

$29.14 MX$539

-53.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 €8.86

$4.94 MX$91.3

101.62%

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

$371 €330

$204 MX$3,763

82.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,915

$3,941 MX$72.8K

182.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.55 €20.06

$43.60 MX$806

-48.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 €29.83

$43.12 MX$797

-22.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 €85.8

$75.8 MX$1,400

27.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 €67.1

$88.6 MX$1,637

-14.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 €872

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-2.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €755

$374 MX$6,911

126.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-4.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,199

$1,106 MX$20.4K

21.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,441 €3,061

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-12.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 €2,550

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-53.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 €1,485

$754 MX$13.9K

121.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

11.45

-74.67%

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

Last update for San Pawl Il-bahar: 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

San Pawl Il-bahar

$848 50%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 55.9% $474

Eating Out

San Pawl Il-bahar

$273 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 26% $71

Groceries & Markets

San Pawl Il-bahar

$256 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 1.1% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pawl Il-bahar

$119 7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 14.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

San Pawl Il-bahar

$103 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 10.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

San Pawl Il-bahar

$70 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 4.7% $3.3

Getting Around

San Pawl Il-bahar

$28 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 90.3% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 121% higher in San Pawl Il-bahar, 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 $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $256 in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so San Pawl Il-bahar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

10:53 10:53 AM

7 h behind San Pawl Il-bahar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,046

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Pawl Il-bahar Playa del Carmen 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

San Pawl Il-bahar
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

San Pawl Il-bahar vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Pawl Il-bahar is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,545 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 40%.

Kindergarten costs $371 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in San Pawl Il-bahar at $1,697. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Pawl Il-bahar 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, San Pawl Il-bahar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.