Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xaghra and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,986 in Xaghra, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Xaghra
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,986
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,986 per month in Xaghra vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Xaghra $1,986
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,970 per month in Xaghra vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Xaghra $2,970
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,953 per month in Xaghra vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Xaghra $3,953
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Xaghra costs about 64% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Xaghra sits 47% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Xaghra
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.07 €8.96
$10.76 MX$199
-6.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.2 €78.5
$43.03 MX$795
104.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.50 €12.01
$11.79 MX$218
14.50%
Cappuccino
$3.19 €2.83
$3.87 MX$71.4
-17.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 €2.12
$1.37 MX$25.29
74.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$0.84 MX$15.44
129.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.46 €4.85
$3.10 MX$57.3
76.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.50 €5.78
$5.07 MX$93.6
28.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Xaghra
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.36 €1.21
$1.44 MX$26.55
-5.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.23 MX$41.23
-35.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.38 €3.01
$1.47 MX$27.17
129.93%
Eggs
$2.07 €1.84
$2.53 MX$46.71
-18.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.52 €9.35
$7.30 MX$135
44.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.15 €10.81
$7.86 MX$145
54.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.35 €16.32
$12.79 MX$236
43.47%
Apples (1kg)
$3.83 €3.40
$2.90 MX$53.6
32.07%
Banana (1kg)
$2.77 €2.47
$1.44 MX$26.53
92.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.99 €3.55
$2.55 MX$47.07
56.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.79 €3.37
$2.06 MX$38.03
83.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.00 MX$36.97
-7.00%
Onion (1kg)
$3.27 €2.91
$2.01 MX$37.07
62.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.19 MX$22.02
83.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 €0.81
$1.26 MX$23.23
-27.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.41 €5.70
$4.40 MX$81.4
45.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.78 €5.14
$9.59 MX$177
-39.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 €2.13
$1.59 MX$29.41
50.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 €2.09
$2.81 MX$51.9
-16.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Xaghra
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.54 €2.26
$0.57 MX$10.47
345.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.82 MX$514
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.86 €3.43
$4.98 MX$92.1
-22.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.76 €1.57
$3.50 MX$64.6
-49.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.86 €29.23
$5.40 MX$99.8
508.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 €1.32
$1.47 MX$27.08
0.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K €24.7K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
32.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.9K €34.6K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
62.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Xaghra
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$157 €140
$84.2 MX$1,556
86.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.53 €27.15
$23.99 MX$443
27.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.78 €26.49
$29.02 MX$536
2.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Xaghra
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.8 €57.6
$63.0 MX$1,164
2.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.12 €9.89
$4.94 MX$91.3
125.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Xaghra
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$278 €247
$204 MX$3,763
36.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K €10.7K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
206.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Xaghra
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.8 €50.5
$43.60 MX$806
30.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$69.8 €62.1
$43.12 MX$797
61.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 €101
$75.8 MX$1,400
49.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 €116
$88.6 MX$1,637
47.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Xaghra
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,118 €994
$1,008 MX$18.6K
10.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$947 €842
$374 MX$6,911
153.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,753 €1,559
$1,708 MX$31.6K
2.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,475 €1,312
$1,106 MX$20.4K
33.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,242 €3,773
$3,944 MX$72.9K
7.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,915 €2,593
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-52.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Xaghra
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$754 MX$13.9K
-
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 Xaghra: October 12, 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
Xaghra
$947
Playa del Carmen
$374 60.5% $573
Groceries & Markets
Xaghra
$328
Playa del Carmen
$258 21.2% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Xaghra
$218
Playa del Carmen
$137 37% $80
Eating Out
Xaghra
$217
Playa del Carmen
$202 6.7% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Xaghra
$167
Playa del Carmen
$113 32.2% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Xaghra
$87
Playa del Carmen
$73 16.2% $14
Getting Around
Xaghra
$23 *
Playa del Carmen
$53 130% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,118 in Xaghra 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Xaghra versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Xaghra
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
17:52 5:52 PM
10:52 10:52 AM
7 h behind Xaghra
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,100
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Xaghra Playa del Carmen 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Xaghra
  • 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
Xaghra vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Xaghra?
Yes – Xaghra is pricier by about 64%, 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 $2,979 per month in Xaghra 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 Xaghra and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,986 in Xaghra and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 64%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $278 per month in Xaghra 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 Xaghra 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 Xaghra at $1,986. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Xaghra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Xaghra 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, Xaghra 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, Xaghra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Xaghra vs other spots: cost of living compared

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