Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Texel and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,532 in Texel, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Texel
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,532
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,532 per month in Texel vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Texel $2,532
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,651 per month in Texel vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Texel $3,651
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,770 per month in Texel vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Texel $4,770
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Texel costs about 110% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Texel sits 87% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Texel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.79 €18.50
$10.86 MX$201
91.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$86.0 €76.5
$44.21 MX$817
94.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.85 €12.32
$11.76 MX$217
17.77%
Cappuccino
$4.02 €3.58
$3.68 MX$68.0
9.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 €3.01
$1.34 MX$24.79
152.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 €2.51
$0.82 MX$15.24
243.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.43 €5.72
$3.06 MX$56.6
110.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.92 €5.26
$4.94 MX$91.2
19.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Texel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 €1.14
$1.47 MX$27.17
-12.93%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 €2.04
$2.22 MX$40.95
3.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.27 €2.91
$1.48 MX$27.32
120.95%
Eggs
$4.74 €4.21
$2.49 MX$45.99
90.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.63 €12.12
$7.52 MX$139
81.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.56 €13.84
$7.96 MX$147
95.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.48 €15.55
$12.57 MX$232
39.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 €2.07
$2.78 MX$51.3
-16.55%
Banana (1kg)
$2.56 €2.28
$1.43 MX$26.37
79.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 €1.75
$2.62 MX$48.37
-25.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.89 €3.46
$2.14 MX$39.49
81.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.13 €1.90
$2.02 MX$37.38
5.45%
Onion (1kg)
$2.03 €1.80
$1.99 MX$36.74
2.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.21 €1.07
$1.14 MX$21.01
6.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 €0.78
$1.20 MX$22.18
-27.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.77 €12.25
$4.26 MX$78.7
223.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.01 €6.24
$10.02 MX$185
-30.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 €1.38
$1.54 MX$28.41
1.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 €2.39
$2.66 MX$49.17
0.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Texel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.56 €3.17
$0.53 MX$9.73
571.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$93.6 €83.3
$27.51 MX$508
240.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.22 €3.75
$4.90 MX$90.6
-13.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.36 €2.10
$3.43 MX$63.5
-31.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.44 €26.19
$5.38 MX$99.4
447.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.45 MX$26.76
57.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K €30.6K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
62.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.4K €32.4K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
58.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Texel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$244 €217
$85.4 MX$1,577
186.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.93 €22.17
$23.46 MX$434
6.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.15 €41.94
$28.43 MX$525
65.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Texel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.78 €36.27
$62.2 MX$1,149
-34.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.06 €20.51
$28.68 MX$530
-19.60%
Cinema Ticket
$15.85 €14.09
$5.10 MX$94.3
210.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Texel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,015 €1,792
$201 MX$3,715
902.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,098 €7,203
$3,947 MX$72.9K
105.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Texel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.7 €81.5
$44.39 MX$820
106.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.56 €41.41
$41.35 MX$764
12.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 €95.4
$72.7 MX$1,344
47.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 €125
$89.6 MX$1,656
56.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Texel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,405 €1,250
$979 MX$18.1K
43.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,175 €1,045
$373 MX$6,887
215.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,324 €2,067
$1,681 MX$31.1K
38.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,718 €1,528
$1,095 MX$20.2K
56.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,302 €4,716
$3,949 MX$73.0K
34.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,457 €3,965
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-27.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Texel
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.28
11.45
-62.62%

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

Last update for Texel: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Texel
$1.2K
Playa del Carmen
$373 68.3% $802
Groceries & Markets
Texel
$346
Playa del Carmen
$258 25.4% $88
Eating Out
Texel
$325
Playa del Carmen
$200 38.4% $125
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Texel
$317
Playa del Carmen
$137 56.6% $179
Clothing & Footwear
Texel
$174
Playa del Carmen
$112 35.7% $62
Getting Around
Texel
$124
Playa del Carmen
$52 58.3% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Texel
$72
Playa del Carmen
$72 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,405 in Texel versus $979 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 $86.0 in Texel versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇱 Texel
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
06:16 6:16 AM
23:16 11:16 PM
7 h behind Texel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,575
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Texel Playa del Carmen 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Texel
  • 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
Texel vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Texel?
Yes – Texel is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,798 per month in Texel 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Texel and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,532 in Texel and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 110%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 240% 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 Texel 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 Texel at $2,532. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Texel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Texel or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Texel or Playa del Carmen?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Texel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Texel vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?