Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguadulce and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguadulce: $955 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Aguadulce
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Aguadulce Living Index
57

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

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Aguadulce

🇵🇦 Panama

$955

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $955 in Aguadulce versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Aguadulce $955
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,528 in Aguadulce versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Aguadulce $1,528
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,100 in Aguadulce versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Aguadulce $2,100
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Aguadulce costs roughly 21% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aguadulce 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.30 PAB 11.30

$10.67 MX$199

5.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.77 PAB 46.77

$43.80 MX$815

6.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.77 PAB 7.77

$11.79 MX$219

-34.10%

Cappuccino

$4.09 PAB 4.09

$3.79 MX$70.5

7.92%

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

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.30 MX$24.14

47.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 PAB 1.56

$0.83 MX$15.51

87.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 PAB 3.20

$3.15 MX$58.6

1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 PAB 3.98

$4.93 MX$91.8

-19.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 PAB 1.89

$1.41 MX$26.22

34.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 PAB 2.54

$2.20 MX$40.86

15.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.49 PAB 3.49

$1.47 MX$27.40

137.41%

Eggs

$2.79 PAB 2.79

$2.50 MX$46.46

11.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 PAB 12.28

$7.29 MX$136

68.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.85 PAB 6.85

$7.95 MX$148

-13.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.62 PAB 10.62

$12.86 MX$239

-17.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 PAB 4.10

$2.90 MX$53.9

41.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 PAB 1.90

$1.38 MX$25.74

37.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 PAB 4.02

$2.49 MX$46.35

61.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 PAB 4.14

$2.03 MX$37.77

103.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 PAB 3.47

$2.02 MX$37.68

71.78%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 PAB 4.44

$1.90 MX$35.42

133.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 PAB 2.40

$1.14 MX$21.30

110.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 PAB 1.79

$1.24 MX$23.05

44.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.89 PAB 5.89

$4.27 MX$79.5

37.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 PAB 11.31

$9.81 MX$183

15.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 PAB 1.40

$1.59 MX$29.51

-11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 PAB 2.72

$2.75 MX$51.1

-1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 PAB 0.26

$0.51 MX$9.58

-49.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 PAB 2.48

$4.76 MX$88.6

-47.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$3.25 MX$60.5

-42.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.34 PAB 22.34

$5.39 MX$100

314.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 PAB 1.20

$1.53 MX$28.44

-21.57%

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

$24.5K PAB 24.5K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

15.27%

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

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

-9.75%

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

$129 PAB 129

$83.5 MX$1,554

54.96%

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

$27.74 PAB 27.74

$23.19 MX$431

19.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.65 PAB 49.65

$27.61 MX$514

79.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.22 PAB 46.22

$56.4 MX$1,050

-18.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$8.40 PAB 8.40

$5.00 MX$93.1

68.00%

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

$553 PAB 553

$207 MX$3,854

166.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,536 PAB 9,536

$5,231 MX$97.3K

82.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.5 PAB 67.5

$43.45 MX$809

55.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.25 PAB 47.25

$42.54 MX$792

11.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 PAB 95.4

$72.8 MX$1,354

31.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 PAB 113

$88.4 MX$1,645

28.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.45

-44.19%

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

Last update for Aguadulce: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Aguadulce

$327 34.2%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 21.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguadulce

$207 21.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 35.1% $72

Eating Out

Aguadulce

$201 21%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Aguadulce

$146 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 23.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Aguadulce

$63 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 5.4% $3.4

Getting Around

Aguadulce

$13 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 293% $38

Accommodation & Living

Aguadulce

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Aguadulce vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Aguadulce

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

Same time as Aguadulce

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,501

149,923

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aguadulce Playa del Carmen 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aguadulce
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

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

Aguadulce wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Aguadulce the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,433 in Aguadulce and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $955 per month in Aguadulce versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Aguadulce is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Aguadulce is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.