Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turnhout and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,127 in Turnhout, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Turnhout
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Turnhout Living Index
59

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

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Turnhout

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,127

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,127 per month in Turnhout vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Turnhout $2,127
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,076 per month in Turnhout vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Turnhout $3,076
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,024 per month in Turnhout vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Turnhout $4,024
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Turnhout costs about 76% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Turnhout sits 58% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.17

$10.76 MX$199

110.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.0 €57.0

$43.03 MX$795

48.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.58 €13.86

$11.79 MX$218

32.15%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.78

$3.87 MX$71.4

9.82%

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

$3.09 €2.75

$1.37 MX$25.29

125.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$0.84 MX$15.44

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 €4.62

$3.10 MX$57.3

67.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.16

$5.07 MX$93.6

-7.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.44 MX$26.55

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.23 MX$41.23

-26.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.47 MX$27.17

44.90%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.54

$2.53 MX$46.71

57.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 €8.83

$7.30 MX$135

36.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.11

$7.86 MX$145

16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.36 €17.22

$12.79 MX$236

51.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$2.90 MX$53.6

-4.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.44 MX$26.53

67.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.55 MX$47.07

-1.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.06 MX$38.03

38.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.00 MX$36.97

6.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.01 MX$37.07

-3.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.19 MX$22.02

-8.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.26 MX$23.23

-15.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.99 €11.55

$4.40 MX$81.4

195.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$9.59 MX$177

-47.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.59 MX$29.41

3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.81 MX$51.9

-15.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 €2.46

$0.57 MX$10.47

385.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.54 €44.07

$27.82 MX$514

78.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.30 €10.05

$4.98 MX$92.1

126.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 €2.61

$3.50 MX$64.6

-16.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.3 €46.56

$5.40 MX$99.8

869.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.47 MX$27.08

31.29%

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

$34.8K €30.9K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

65.63%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

40.83%

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

$225 €200

$84.2 MX$1,556

167.39%

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

$21.17 €18.83

$23.99 MX$443

-11.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.30 €42.07

$29.02 MX$536

62.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 €111

$63.0 MX$1,164

97.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.43 €19.95

$29.14 MX$539

-23.03%

Cinema Ticket

$13.60 €12.10

$4.94 MX$91.3

175.30%

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

$547 €487

$204 MX$3,763

168.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K €18.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

434.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.0

$43.60 MX$806

142.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.94 €41.75

$43.12 MX$797

8.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €95.9

$75.8 MX$1,400

42.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €132

$88.6 MX$1,637

67.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 €809

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-9.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$785 €699

$374 MX$6,911

110.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 €1,100

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-27.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-0.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,592 €2,305

$754 MX$13.9K

243.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

11.45

-72.05%

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

Last update for Turnhout: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Turnhout

$786 36.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 52.4% $412

Eating Out

Turnhout

$338 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 40.1% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turnhout

$294 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 53.3% $156

Groceries & Markets

Turnhout

$288 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 10.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Turnhout

$184 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 38.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Turnhout

$152 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 52% $79

Getting Around

Turnhout

$87 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 39.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $910 in Turnhout versus $1,008 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 244% higher in Turnhout, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Turnhout versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Turnhout

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

17:35 5:35 PM

7 h behind Turnhout

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Turnhout Playa del Carmen 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Turnhout
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

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

Yes – Turnhout is pricier by about 76%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,191 per month in Turnhout and $1,816 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,127 in Turnhout and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 76%.

Public transport costs about 78% 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 $1,210, than in Turnhout at $2,127. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Turnhout 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.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Turnhout makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.