Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acapulco and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index
59

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

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Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Acapulco vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Acapulco $859
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,435 per month in Acapulco vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Acapulco $1,435
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,012 per month in Acapulco vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Acapulco $2,012
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Acapulco is about 29% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Acapulco and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Acapulco 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.48 MX$175

$10.76 MX$199

-11.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.64 MX$696

$43.03 MX$795

-12.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 MX$221

$11.79 MX$218

1.53%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.5

$3.87 MX$71.4

-2.84%

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

$1.63 MX$30.10

$1.37 MX$25.29

18.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$30.65

$0.84 MX$15.44

97.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 MX$55.4

$3.10 MX$57.3

-3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 MX$88.4

$5.07 MX$93.6

-5.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.36

$1.44 MX$26.55

10.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$2.23 MX$41.23

29.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.11

$1.47 MX$27.17

14.29%

Eggs

$1.79 MX$33.06

$2.53 MX$46.71

-29.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.64 MX$123

$7.30 MX$135

-9.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 MX$149

$7.86 MX$145

2.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$199

$12.79 MX$236

-15.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 MX$84.7

$2.90 MX$53.6

57.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$1.44 MX$26.53

14.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.55 MX$47.07

32.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 MX$57.9

$2.06 MX$38.03

51.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 MX$64.2

$2.00 MX$36.97

73.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 MX$54.7

$2.01 MX$37.07

47.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MX$24.12

$1.19 MX$22.02

10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.46

$1.26 MX$23.23

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 MX$151

$4.40 MX$81.4

85.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 MX$123

$9.59 MX$177

-30.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.74

$1.59 MX$29.41

-29.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 MX$49.94

$2.81 MX$51.9

-3.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 MX$16.27

$0.57 MX$10.47

54.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 MX$89.6

$4.98 MX$92.1

-2.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.16

$1.47 MX$27.08

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

$21.1K MX$389.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

0.50%

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

$24.8K MX$458.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

3.76%

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

$39.89 MX$737

$84.2 MX$1,556

-52.63%

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

$14.81 MX$274

$23.99 MX$443

-38.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.72 MX$401

$29.02 MX$536

-25.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.02 MX$351

$63.0 MX$1,164

-69.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.85 MX$256

$29.14 MX$539

-52.47%

Cinema Ticket

$3.87 MX$71.6

$4.94 MX$91.3

-21.66%

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

$162 MX$2,994

$204 MX$3,763

-20.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 MX$1,191

$43.60 MX$806

47.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.58 MX$824

$43.12 MX$797

3.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,985

$75.8 MX$1,400

41.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 MX$1,538

$88.6 MX$1,637

-6.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$9,593

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-48.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 MX$2,763

$374 MX$6,911

-60.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$17.7K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-44.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 MX$6,118

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-70.07%

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)

$449 MX$8,293

$754 MX$13.9K

-40.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

11.45

1.31%

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

Last update for Acapulco: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Acapulco

$269 31.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 3.7% $10

Eating Out

Acapulco

$195 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 3.9% $7.6

Accommodation & Living

Acapulco

$150 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 150% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Acapulco

$135 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 16.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acapulco

$76 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 79.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Acapulco

$27 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 172% $46

Getting Around

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 528% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Acapulco 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 68% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $38.00 in Acapulco versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Acapulco vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

1 h ahead of Acapulco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,609

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Acapulco Playa del Carmen 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Acapulco
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 41% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Acapulco 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 Acapulco, 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 $859 in Acapulco and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 41%.

Kindergarten costs $162 per month in Acapulco and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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