Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wicklow and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,448 in Wicklow, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Wicklow
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,448
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,448 per month in Wicklow vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Wicklow $2,448
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,698 per month in Wicklow vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Wicklow $3,698
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,949 per month in Wicklow vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Wicklow $4,949
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Wicklow costs about 102% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Wicklow sits 81% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wicklow
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.49 €13.78
$10.76 MX$199
43.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$90.0 €80.1
$43.03 MX$795
109.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.17 €8.16
$11.79 MX$218
-22.22%
Cappuccino
$4.01 €3.56
$3.87 MX$71.4
3.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 €2.28
$1.37 MX$25.29
86.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.84 MX$15.44
134.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.75 €6.00
$3.10 MX$57.3
117.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.03 €5.37
$5.07 MX$93.6
18.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wicklow
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 €1.51
$1.44 MX$26.55
18.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 €1.52
$2.23 MX$41.23
-23.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 €1.71
$1.47 MX$27.17
30.61%
Eggs
$4.46 €3.96
$2.53 MX$46.71
76.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.21 €12.64
$7.30 MX$135
94.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.06 €8.95
$7.86 MX$145
27.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.83 €6.96
$12.79 MX$236
-38.78%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 €2.90
$2.90 MX$53.6
12.41%
Banana (1kg)
$2.95 €2.63
$1.44 MX$26.53
104.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.43 €3.05
$2.55 MX$47.07
34.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.79 €4.26
$2.06 MX$38.03
132.52%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 €2.10
$2.00 MX$36.97
18.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 €1.44
$2.01 MX$37.07
-19.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 €1.23
$1.19 MX$22.02
16.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.26 MX$23.23
73.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.00 €17.79
$4.40 MX$81.4
354.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.25 €11.78
$9.59 MX$177
38.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.21 €1.97
$1.59 MX$29.41
38.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.42 €3.04
$2.81 MX$51.9
21.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Wicklow
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.95 €2.62
$0.57 MX$10.47
417.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.82 MX$514
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.38 €2.11
$4.98 MX$92.1
-52.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 €1.33
$3.50 MX$64.6
-57.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.49 €28.90
$5.40 MX$99.8
501.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 €1.82
$1.47 MX$27.08
39.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.7K €32.7K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
75.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.5K €33.4K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
57.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wicklow
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$219 €195
$84.2 MX$1,556
160.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.11 €19.66
$23.99 MX$443
-7.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.38 €29.69
$29.02 MX$536
15.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wicklow
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.2 €51.8
$63.0 MX$1,164
-7.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.32 €11.85
$4.94 MX$91.3
169.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wicklow
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,054 €937
$204 MX$3,763
417.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,338 €4,748
$3,941 MX$72.8K
35.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wicklow
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.5 €84.9
$43.60 MX$806
118.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.72 €29.99
$43.12 MX$797
-21.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.0 €59.6
$75.8 MX$1,400
-11.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$88.6 MX$1,637
34.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wicklow
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,683 €1,497
$1,008 MX$18.6K
66.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,327 €1,180
$374 MX$6,911
254.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,060 €2,722
$1,708 MX$31.6K
79.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,378 €2,115
$1,106 MX$20.4K
114.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wicklow
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,576 €4,960
$754 MX$13.9K
639.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.14
11.45
-63.84%

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

Last update for Wicklow: 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
Wicklow
$1.3K
Playa del Carmen
$374 71.8% $953
Groceries & Markets
Wicklow
$334
Playa del Carmen
$258 22.7% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wicklow
$275
Playa del Carmen
$137 50.1% $138
Eating Out
Wicklow
$263
Playa del Carmen
$202 23.2% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Wicklow
$142
Playa del Carmen
$113 20.4% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Wicklow
$85
Playa del Carmen
$73 14.1% $12
Getting Around
Wicklow
$22 *
Playa del Carmen
$53 143% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,683 in Wicklow 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 639% higher in Wicklow, 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 $90.0 in Wicklow versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇪 Wicklow
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
14:41 2:41 PM
08:41 8:41 AM
6 h behind Wicklow
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,957
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Wicklow Playa del Carmen 7,600 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Wicklow
  • 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
Wicklow vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Wicklow?
Yes – Wicklow is pricier by about 102%, 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 $3,672 per month in Wicklow and $1,816 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 Wicklow and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,448 in Wicklow and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 102%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,054 per month in Wicklow and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Wicklow or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Wicklow at $2,448. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wicklow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Wicklow 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, Wicklow 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, Wicklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Wicklow vs other spots: cost of living compared

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