Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soest and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,925 in Soest, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Soest
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Soest Living Index
58

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

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Soest

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,925

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,925 per month in Soest vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Soest $1,925
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,869 per month in Soest vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Soest $2,869
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Soest vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Soest $3,812
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Soest costs about 60% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Soest sits 41% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.52 €12.15

$10.92 MX$204

23.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.2

$43.37 MX$810

57.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.13

$11.78 MX$220

-4.24%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.81 MX$71.2

-22.05%

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

$2.19 €1.97

$1.28 MX$23.96

71.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.02

$0.78 MX$14.63

188.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 €3.17

$3.17 MX$59.2

11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.06

$4.93 MX$92.2

-53.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.41 MX$26.28

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.60

$2.22 MX$41.43

-19.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 €3.55

$1.42 MX$26.48

178.17%

Eggs

$3.38 €3.04

$2.52 MX$47.14

34.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 €12.82

$7.26 MX$136

96.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 €10.58

$7.70 MX$144

52.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.18 €16.34

$12.69 MX$237

43.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.34

$2.78 MX$52.0

-6.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.37 MX$25.56

43.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.55 MX$47.66

-18.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.12 MX$39.67

6.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.94 MX$36.22

-30.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.89 MX$35.24

-34.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.15 MX$21.42

37.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.92

$1.18 MX$22.03

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.38 €8.43

$4.30 MX$80.3

118.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 €5.46

$9.95 MX$186

-38.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.58 MX$29.59

-43.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.67 MX$49.91

-44.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 €3.06

$0.55 MX$10.34

520.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 €54.5

$26.62 MX$497

127.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 €3.45

$4.97 MX$92.9

-22.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.36

$3.33 MX$62.2

-21.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.48 €30.08

$5.36 MX$100

524.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.44 MX$26.98

42.36%

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

$30.1K €27.1K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

45.75%

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

$38.5K €34.6K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

64.09%

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

$377 €339

$84.8 MX$1,584

344.71%

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

$16.99 €15.27

$23.41 MX$437

-27.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.10 €38.72

$28.66 MX$535

50.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.92 €25.08

$57.1 MX$1,066

-51.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.12 €27.07

$28.91 MX$540

4.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.52

$5.14 MX$96.0

106.23%

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

$467 €420

$207 MX$3,860

126.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.3K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

334.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$128 €115

$43.35 MX$810

195.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 €29.97

$41.44 MX$774

-19.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €106

$74.2 MX$1,386

58.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €110

$89.3 MX$1,668

37.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 €997

$980 MX$18.3K

13.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 €578

$381 MX$7,116

69.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 €1,309

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-14.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 €1,026

$1,075 MX$20.1K

6.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,354 €3,912

$3,943 MX$73.7K

10.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,673 €3,300

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-40.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

11.45

-65.41%

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

Last update for Soest: October 27, 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

Soest

$644 33.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 40.8% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soest

$437 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 68.7% $300

Groceries & Markets

Soest

$305 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 16.6% $51

Eating Out

Soest

$218 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Soest

$181 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 38.2% $69

Getting Around

Soest

$91 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 44.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Soest

$49 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 37.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,109 in Soest 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 $68 in Soest versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $305 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Soest

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

6 h behind Soest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,460

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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Soest Playa del Carmen 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Soest
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

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

Yes – Soest is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,887 per month in Soest 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,109 in Soest.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,925 in Soest and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 60%.

Public transport costs about 56% 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 Soest at $1,925. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Soest 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 60% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.