Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wels and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,885 in Wels, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index
59

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

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Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,885

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,885 per month in Wels vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wels $1,885
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,801 per month in Wels vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wels $2,801
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,717 per month in Wels vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wels $3,717
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Wels costs about 56% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Wels sits 40% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.47 €14.65

$10.76 MX$199

53.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.1

$43.03 MX$795

93.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$11.79 MX$218

-3.99%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.79

$3.87 MX$71.4

10.34%

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

$3.38 €3.01

$1.37 MX$25.29

146.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$0.84 MX$15.44

254.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.84

$3.10 MX$57.3

75.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$5.07 MX$93.6

6.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.44 MX$26.55

4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.23 MX$41.23

8.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.47 MX$27.17

17.69%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.42

$2.53 MX$46.71

51.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.73 €19.33

$7.30 MX$135

197.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 €11.43

$7.86 MX$145

63.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.77 €19.36

$12.79 MX$236

70.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.90 MX$53.6

2.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.44 MX$26.53

22.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.55 MX$47.07

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.06 MX$38.03

36.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.00 MX$36.97

26.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.01 MX$37.07

-18.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.19 MX$22.02

89.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.26 MX$23.23

-40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.51 €6.68

$4.40 MX$81.4

70.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.94 €7.95

$9.59 MX$177

-6.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.59 MX$29.41

-49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.81 MX$51.9

-22.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 €2.40

$0.57 MX$10.47

373.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.48 €34.23

$27.82 MX$514

38.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.01

$4.98 MX$92.1

13.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 €2.08

$3.50 MX$64.6

-33.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.71 €27.32

$5.40 MX$99.8

468.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.47 MX$27.08

21.77%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

46.38%

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

$30.2K €26.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

26.35%

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

$333 €296

$84.2 MX$1,556

295.56%

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

$13.71 €12.19

$23.99 MX$443

-42.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.38 €33.25

$29.02 MX$536

28.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.43 €40.41

$63.0 MX$1,164

-27.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.27 €29.59

$29.14 MX$539

14.17%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 €12.13

$4.94 MX$91.3

176.11%

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

$1,336 €1,189

$204 MX$3,763

556.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

300.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 €73.4

$43.60 MX$806

89.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 €52.7

$43.12 MX$797

37.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.9

$75.8 MX$1,400

46.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$88.6 MX$1,637

39.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 €601

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-32.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 €489

$374 MX$6,911

47.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 €832

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-45.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €704

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-28.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$3,944 MX$72.9K

5.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,425 €3,047

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-44.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,072 €2,733

$754 MX$13.9K

307.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

11.45

-69.43%

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

Last update for Wels: 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

Wels

$550 29.2%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 32% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wels

$384 20.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 64.3% $247

Groceries & Markets

Wels

$362 19.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 28.6% $103

Eating Out

Wels

$280 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 27.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Wels

$169 9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 33.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Wels

$73 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Wels

$67 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 21.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $676 in Wels 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 307% higher in Wels, 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 $83.0 in Wels versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Wels

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

12:17 12:17 PM

7 h behind Wels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,853

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

Wels Playa del Carmen 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Wels
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

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

Yes – Wels is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,827 per month in Wels 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 $1,885 in Wels and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 56%.

Public transport costs about 38% 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 Wels at $1,885. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wels 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, Wels makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.