Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,144 per month in Side vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Side $1,144
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,790 per month in Side vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Side $1,790
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,435 per month in Side vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Side $2,435
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Side is about 5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Side and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Side 16% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.26 ₺511

$10.92 MX$204

-6.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.76 ₺1,483

$43.37 MX$808

-31.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 ₺471

$11.78 MX$220

-19.78%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ₺171

$3.81 MX$71.0

-9.71%

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

$2.19 ₺109

$1.28 MX$23.90

71.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₺19.48

$0.78 MX$14.59

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ₺200

$3.17 MX$59.0

26.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 ₺303

$4.93 MX$92.0

23.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ₺53.1

$1.41 MX$26.22

-24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ₺48.33

$2.22 MX$41.33

-56.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 ₺130

$1.42 MX$26.42

83.80%

Eggs

$2.29 ₺114

$2.52 MX$47.03

-9.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 ₺683

$7.26 MX$135

88.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 ₺307

$7.70 MX$143

-20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.79 ₺1,335

$12.69 MX$237

111.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₺78.2

$2.78 MX$51.9

-43.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 ₺123

$1.37 MX$25.50

79.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ₺69.1

$2.55 MX$47.55

-45.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.5

$2.12 MX$39.58

-40.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ₺39.51

$1.94 MX$36.13

-59.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ₺35.38

$1.89 MX$35.16

-62.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 ₺87.0

$1.15 MX$21.37

51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.63

$1.18 MX$21.98

-35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₺139

$4.30 MX$80.1

-35.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.85 ₺690

$9.95 MX$185

39.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₺84.1

$1.58 MX$29.52

6.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₺156

$2.67 MX$49.79

17.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₺34.55

$0.55 MX$10.31

25.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ₺61.7

$4.97 MX$92.6

-75.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ₺49.64

$3.33 MX$62.1

-69.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ₺333

$5.36 MX$99.8

24.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₺75.2

$1.44 MX$26.92

4.86%

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

$42.1K ₺2.1M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

103.70%

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

$38.2K ₺1.9M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

63.00%

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

$76.7 ₺3,824

$84.8 MX$1,581

-9.52%

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

$10.57 ₺527

$23.41 MX$436

-54.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.12 ₺1,152

$28.66 MX$534

-19.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ₺2,632

$57.1 MX$1,063

-7.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$8.06 ₺402

$5.14 MX$95.8

56.81%

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

$507 ₺25.3K

$207 MX$3,851

145.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₺544.1K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

178.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.20 ₺2,302

$43.35 MX$808

6.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.9 ₺2,937

$41.44 MX$772

42.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 ₺7,812

$74.2 MX$1,383

111.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ₺5,842

$89.3 MX$1,664

31.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₺20.9K

$980 MX$18.3K

-57.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₺15.1K

$381 MX$7,099

-20.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₺37.9K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-55.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 ₺28.5K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-46.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,431 ₺71.3K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-63.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,018 ₺50.7K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-83.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

38.25

11.45

234.06%

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

Last update for Side: 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

Side

$302 26.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 26% $78

Groceries & Markets

Side

$289 25.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 11.8% $34

Eating Out

Side

$194 17%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 4.2% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Side

$171 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34.5% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Side

$110 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 23.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Side

$69 6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 2.3% $1.6

Getting Around

Side

$9 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 461% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in Side 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 $30 in Side versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $289 in Side vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Side

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

8 h behind Side

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

149,923

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Side Playa del Carmen 10,940 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Side
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,717 per month in Side 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 Side, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,144 in Side and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Side and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,144 in Side and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,144 in Side to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.