Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarxien and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,952 in Tarxien, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Tarxien
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Tarxien Living Index
58

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

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Tarxien

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,952

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,952 per month in Tarxien vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tarxien $1,952
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,102 per month in Tarxien vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tarxien $3,102
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,253 per month in Tarxien vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tarxien $4,253
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Tarxien costs about 62% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tarxien sits 43% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.38

$10.92 MX$204

107.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.7

$43.37 MX$808

107.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 €11.94

$11.78 MX$220

12.90%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.93

$3.81 MX$71.0

-14.44%

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

$2.36 €2.12

$1.28 MX$23.90

84.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.78 MX$14.59

146.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.96

$3.17 MX$59.0

74.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.87

$4.93 MX$92.0

32.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.41 MX$26.22

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.27

$2.22 MX$41.33

-36.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.09

$1.42 MX$26.42

142.25%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.97

$2.52 MX$47.03

75.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 €9.17

$7.26 MX$135

40.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.95 €10.73

$7.70 MX$143

55.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.07 €16.23

$12.69 MX$237

42.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 €3.35

$2.78 MX$51.9

34.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$1.37 MX$25.50

94.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 €3.58

$2.55 MX$47.55

56.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.44

$2.12 MX$39.58

80.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.94 MX$36.13

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 €2.95

$1.89 MX$35.16

73.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.15 MX$21.37

93.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.18 MX$21.98

27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.65

$4.30 MX$80.1

46.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 €5.48

$9.95 MX$185

-38.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.22

$1.58 MX$29.52

56.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.67 MX$49.79

-14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.89

$0.55 MX$10.31

283.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 €3.48

$4.97 MX$92.6

-22.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 €1.59

$3.33 MX$62.1

-46.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.80 €29.46

$5.36 MX$99.8

511.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.44 MX$26.92

2.08%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

37.05%

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

$39.4K €35.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

68.02%

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

$155 €139

$84.8 MX$1,581

82.45%

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

$30.62 €27.51

$23.41 MX$436

30.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.10 €26.14

$28.66 MX$534

1.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 €58.7

$57.1 MX$1,063

14.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.22

$5.14 MX$95.8

121.40%

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

$273 €245

$207 MX$3,851

32.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K €10.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

207.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 €51.4

$43.35 MX$808

32.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.5 €60.7

$41.44 MX$772

62.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$74.2 MX$1,383

53.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$89.3 MX$1,664

43.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 €1,020

$980 MX$18.3K

15.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$804 €722

$381 MX$7,099

111.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,534

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 €1,362

$1,075 MX$20.0K

41.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,169 €3,745

$3,943 MX$73.5K

5.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,223 €2,896

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-47.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

11.45

-64.63%

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

Last update for Tarxien: 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

Tarxien

$804 41.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 52.6% $423

Groceries & Markets

Tarxien

$341 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 25.3% $86

Eating Out

Tarxien

$318 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 36.4% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarxien

$214 11%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 36.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Tarxien

$165 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Tarxien

$88 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 23.6% $21

Getting Around

Tarxien

$21 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 138% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,136 in Tarxien 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 $90 in Tarxien versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Tarxien

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

6 h behind Tarxien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,600

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tarxien Playa del Carmen 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Tarxien
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

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

Yes – Tarxien is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,928 per month in Tarxien 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 $1,136 in Tarxien.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,952 in Tarxien and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Tarxien and $207 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 $1,204, than in Tarxien at $1,952. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tarxien 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.