Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguadilla and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguadilla: $1,061 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Aguadilla
Learn more

Aguadilla Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Aguadilla

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,061

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,061 per month in Aguadilla vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Aguadilla $1,061
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,730 per month in Aguadilla vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Aguadilla $1,730
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,398 per month in Aguadilla vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Aguadilla $2,398
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Aguadilla is about 12% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aguadilla and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Aguadilla 21% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 $12.05

$10.76 MX$199

11.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 $59.4

$43.03 MX$795

38.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.97 $8.97

$11.79 MX$218

-23.92%

Cappuccino

$1.48 $1.48

$3.87 MX$71.4

-61.76%

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

$1.25 $1.25

$1.37 MX$25.29

-8.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.84 MX$15.44

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.10 MX$57.3

-6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$5.07 MX$93.6

-20.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.44 MX$26.55

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.23 MX$41.23

65.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.47 MX$27.17

58.50%

Eggs

$7.31 $7.31

$2.53 MX$46.71

188.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 $12.58

$7.30 MX$135

72.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 $9.68

$7.86 MX$145

23.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.36 $13.36

$12.79 MX$236

4.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.90 MX$53.6

72.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.44 MX$26.53

76.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.55 MX$47.07

93.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.06 MX$38.03

127.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.00 MX$36.97

92.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.01 MX$37.07

98.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.19 MX$22.02

195.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.26 MX$23.23

25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 $12.12

$4.40 MX$81.4

175.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 $15.56

$9.59 MX$177

62.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.59 MX$29.41

89.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.81 MX$51.9

38.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$4.98 MX$92.1

-50.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.50 MX$64.6

-57.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.66 $42.66

$5.40 MX$99.8

690.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.47 MX$27.08

-31.29%

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

$39.5K $39.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

88.08%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

15.88%

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

$120 $120

$84.2 MX$1,556

42.22%

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

$69.6 $69.6

$23.99 MX$443

189.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$29.02 MX$536

135.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.39 $35.39

$63.0 MX$1,164

-43.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 $10.48

$4.94 MX$91.3

112.15%

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

$822 $822

$204 MX$3,763

303.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

221.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$43.60 MX$806

27.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 $60.7

$43.12 MX$797

40.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$75.8 MX$1,400

44.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.6 MX$1,637

30.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,973 $1,973

$1,708 MX$31.6K

15.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

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)

$1,324 $1,324

$754 MX$13.9K

75.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Aguadilla: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Aguadilla

$411 38.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 37.1% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguadilla

$258 24.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 46.8% $121

Eating Out

Aguadilla

$173 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 17.1% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Aguadilla

$153 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 26.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Aguadilla

$56 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 29.3% $17

Getting Around

Aguadilla

$9.9 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 431% $43

Accommodation & Living

Aguadilla

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 76% higher in Aguadilla, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Aguadilla versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Aguadilla

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

23:32 11:32 PM

1 h behind Aguadilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,919

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aguadilla Playa del Carmen 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Aguadilla
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,592 per month in Aguadilla and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Aguadilla and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 59% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aguadilla, where all-in costs run around $1,061, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Aguadilla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aguadilla – 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 Aguadilla. 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.