Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scalea and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,723 in Scalea, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index
58

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

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Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,723

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Scalea vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Scalea $1,723
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,482 per month in Scalea vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Scalea $2,482
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Scalea vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Scalea $3,241
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Scalea costs about 43% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Scalea sits 27% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €15.05

$10.92 MX$205

53.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.7

$43.37 MX$815

30.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.87

$11.78 MX$221

-6.45%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.88

$3.81 MX$71.6

-44.88%

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

$2.96 €2.65

$1.28 MX$24.10

131.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$0.78 MX$14.71

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.91

$3.17 MX$59.5

107.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.70

$4.93 MX$92.7

-16.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.41 MX$26.43

-10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.22 MX$41.66

-24.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 €2.35

$1.42 MX$26.64

84.51%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.06

$2.52 MX$47.41

35.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 €9.90

$7.26 MX$137

52.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.48

$7.70 MX$145

51.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 €14.15

$12.69 MX$239

24.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.78 MX$52.3

-28.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.37 MX$25.71

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 €1.25

$2.55 MX$47.94

-45.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.36

$2.12 MX$39.90

24.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.94 MX$36.43

-10.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.89 MX$35.44

-31.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.15 MX$21.55

11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 €0.42

$1.18 MX$22.16

-61.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.11

$4.30 MX$80.7

58.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 €7.00

$9.95 MX$187

-21.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.58 MX$29.76

15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.67 MX$50.2

-42.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.55 MX$10.40

201.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.62 €34.61

$26.62 MX$500

45.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 €4.10

$4.97 MX$93.4

-8.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$3.33 MX$62.6

-65.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.00 €19.71

$5.36 MX$101

310.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.44 MX$27.14

47.22%

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

$36.0K €32.3K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

74.16%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

60.24%

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

$315 €282

$84.8 MX$1,594

270.93%

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

$10.52 €9.42

$23.41 MX$440

-55.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.57 €30.98

$28.66 MX$539

20.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 €47.61

$57.1 MX$1,072

-6.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.55 €20.21

$28.91 MX$543

-22.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.12

$5.14 MX$96.6

76.46%

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

$445 €399

$207 MX$3,882

115.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,807 €6,099

$3,927 MX$73.8K

73.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 €74.4

$43.35 MX$815

91.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.18 €30.63

$41.44 MX$779

-17.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €76.1

$74.2 MX$1,394

14.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$89.3 MX$1,677

44.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 €628

$980 MX$18.4K

-28.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 €498

$381 MX$7,157

46.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 €984

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-35.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €734

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-23.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,452 €1,301

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-63.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 €1,023

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-81.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

11.45

-69.00%

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

Last update for Scalea: 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

Scalea

$556 32.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 31.5% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scalea

$360 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.9% $223

Groceries & Markets

Scalea

$278 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 8.3% $23

Eating Out

Scalea

$254 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 20.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Scalea

$149 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Scalea

$71 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.5% $3.9

Getting Around

Scalea

$56 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 9.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $700 in Scalea 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Scalea versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $278 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Scalea

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

21:20 9:20 PM

6 h behind Scalea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,913

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 = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scalea Playa del Carmen 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Scalea
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

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

Yes – Scalea is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,585 per month in Scalea 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 Scalea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $700 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,723 in Scalea and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% 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 $1,204, than in Scalea at $1,723. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scalea 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 $1,723 in Scalea. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.