Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Syros and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,533 in Syros, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Syros, Greece
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Syros
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,533
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,533 per month in Syros vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Syros $1,533
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,316 per month in Syros vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Syros $2,316
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,099 per month in Syros vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Syros $3,099
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Syros costs about 27% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Syros sits 13% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Syros
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.82 €11.49
$10.92 MX$203
17.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.1 €49.36
$43.37 MX$808
27.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.08 €9.03
$11.78 MX$219
-14.43%
Cappuccino
$3.36 €3.01
$3.81 MX$71.0
-11.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 €2.13
$1.28 MX$23.89
85.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 €0.66
$0.78 MX$14.58
-6.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.57 €4.99
$3.17 MX$59.0
75.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.20 €4.66
$4.93 MX$91.9
5.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Syros
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.78 €1.60
$1.41 MX$26.20
26.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 €1.28
$2.22 MX$41.30
-35.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$1.42 MX$26.40
82.39%
Eggs
$4.52 €4.05
$2.52 MX$47.00
79.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.50 €13.89
$7.26 MX$135
113.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 €9.35
$7.70 MX$143
35.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.96 €13.41
$12.69 MX$236
17.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.17 €1.95
$2.78 MX$51.9
-21.94%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 €1.84
$1.37 MX$25.49
49.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.34 €1.20
$2.55 MX$47.52
-47.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.77 €1.58
$2.12 MX$39.55
-16.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 €1.06
$1.94 MX$36.11
-38.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 €1.05
$1.89 MX$35.13
-37.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 €0.80
$1.15 MX$21.36
-22.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 €0.63
$1.18 MX$21.96
-40.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.98 €4.46
$4.30 MX$80.0
15.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.02 €7.19
$9.95 MX$185
-19.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 €2.00
$1.58 MX$29.50
41.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 €2.68
$2.67 MX$49.76
11.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Syros
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 €1.21
$0.55 MX$10.31
145.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.2 €47.70
$26.62 MX$496
99.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.44 €3.97
$4.97 MX$92.6
-10.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.10 €0.99
$3.33 MX$62.1
-66.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.48 €4.91
$5.36 MX$99.8
2.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.18 €1.95
$1.44 MX$26.90
51.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K €24.9K
$20.7K MX$385.0K
34.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K €21.6K
$23.5K MX$437.2K
2.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Syros
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$194 €174
$84.8 MX$1,580
128.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.45 €22.80
$23.41 MX$436
8.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.57 €24.71
$28.66 MX$534
-3.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Syros
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 €48.46
$57.1 MX$1,063
-5.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.02 €22.42
$28.91 MX$539
-13.46%
Cinema Ticket
$9.01 €8.07
$5.14 MX$95.7
75.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Syros
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$391 €350
$207 MX$3,848
89.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,967 €3,555
$3,927 MX$73.2K
1.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Syros
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.9 €79.7
$43.35 MX$808
105.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.47 €24.62
$41.44 MX$772
-33.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.2 €75.4
$74.2 MX$1,382
13.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.9 €74.3
$89.3 MX$1,663
-7.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Syros
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$577 €517
$980 MX$18.2K
-41.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$501 €449
$381 MX$7,095
31.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 €892
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-41.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$828 €742
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-22.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,662 €1,489
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-57.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,567 €1,404
$6,158 MX$114.7K
-74.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Syros
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$966 €865
$735 MX$13.7K
31.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.44
11.45
-61.22%

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

Last update for Syros: 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
Syros
$501
Playa del Carmen
$381 24% $120
Groceries & Markets
Syros
$293
Playa del Carmen
$255 12.9% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Syros
$247
Playa del Carmen
$137 44.6% $110
Eating Out
Syros
$224
Playa del Carmen
$202 9.6% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Syros
$128
Playa del Carmen
$112 12.4% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Syros
$72
Playa del Carmen
$67 6.6% $4.8
Getting Around
Syros
$69
Playa del Carmen
$50 26.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $577 in Syros 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.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Syros. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Syros versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Syros
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
07:27 7:27 AM
00:27 12:27 AM
7 h behind Syros
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,138
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Syros Playa del Carmen 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Syros
  • 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
Syros vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Syros?
Yes – Syros is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,299 per month in Syros and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Syros, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $577 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Syros and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,533 in Syros and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 21% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 50% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Syros or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Syros at $1,533. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Syros it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Syros or in Playa del Carmen?
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 $1,533 in Syros. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Syros makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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