Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajijic and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,327 in Ajijic, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ajijic outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index
58

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

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Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,327 per month in Ajijic vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ajijic $1,327
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,083 per month in Ajijic vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ajijic $2,083
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,840 per month in Ajijic vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ajijic $2,840
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ajijic costs about 10% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ajijic and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ajijic 3% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.36 MX$176

$10.92 MX$205

-14.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.80 MX$804

$43.37 MX$815

-1.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 MX$130

$11.78 MX$221

-41.51%

Cappuccino

$3.53 MX$66.4

$3.81 MX$71.6

-7.35%

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

$1.58 MX$29.63

$1.28 MX$24.10

23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.78

$0.78 MX$14.71

48.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 MX$41.03

$3.17 MX$59.5

-31.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$61.8

$4.93 MX$92.7

-33.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.84

$1.41 MX$26.43

1.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 MX$41.00

$2.22 MX$41.66

-1.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 MX$20.58

$1.42 MX$26.64

-23.24%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$42.24

$2.52 MX$47.41

-10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 MX$150

$7.26 MX$137

9.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.19 MX$154

$7.70 MX$145

6.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 MX$133

$12.69 MX$239

-44.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.80

$2.78 MX$52.3

-21.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 MX$24.51

$1.37 MX$25.71

-5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.65

$2.55 MX$47.94

-40.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.51

$2.12 MX$39.90

-20.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.28

$1.94 MX$36.43

-22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 MX$26.05

$1.89 MX$35.44

-26.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$19.18

$1.15 MX$21.55

-11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 MX$16.53

$1.18 MX$22.16

-25.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 MX$83.3

$4.30 MX$80.7

3.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.58 MX$161

$9.95 MX$187

-13.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MX$28.20

$1.58 MX$29.76

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.37

$2.67 MX$50.2

-51.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.70

$0.55 MX$10.40

23.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.9 MX$1,088

$26.62 MX$500

117.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MX$23.33

$4.97 MX$93.4

-75.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.23 MX$79.4

$3.33 MX$62.6

27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.75 MX$202

$5.36 MX$101

100.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.73

$1.44 MX$27.14

2.78%

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

$24.6K MX$463.2K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

19.26%

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

$23.6K MX$444.3K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

0.75%

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

$55.2 MX$1,038

$84.8 MX$1,594

-34.85%

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

$14.17 MX$266

$23.41 MX$440

-39.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 MX$462

$28.66 MX$539

-14.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.01 MX$451

$57.1 MX$1,072

-57.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.27 MX$99.1

$28.91 MX$543

-81.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.77 MX$89.6

$5.14 MX$96.6

-7.20%

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

$211 MX$3,967

$207 MX$3,882

2.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,800 MX$52.6K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-28.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.69 MX$802

$43.35 MX$815

-1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.24 MX$305

$41.44 MX$779

-60.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 MX$1,249

$74.2 MX$1,394

-10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 MX$1,307

$89.3 MX$1,677

-22.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$844 MX$15.9K

$980 MX$18.4K

-13.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 MX$12.1K

$381 MX$7,157

69.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 MX$28.4K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-11.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 MX$23.5K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

16.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,324 MX$62.5K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-15.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,782 MX$33.5K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-71.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 MX$10.3K

$735 MX$13.8K

-25.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

11.45

-2.18%

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

Last update for Ajijic: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ajijic

$644 48.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 40.9% $263

Groceries & Markets

Ajijic

$218 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 16.9% $37

Eating Out

Ajijic

$166 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 21.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajijic

$94 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 45.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ajijic

$88 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.4% $24

Getting Around

Ajijic

$83 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 39.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ajijic

$34 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 101% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $844 in Ajijic versus $980 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 34% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $43 in Ajijic versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $255 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

04:01 4:01 AM

1 h ahead of Ajijic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,439

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ajijic Playa del Carmen 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ajijic
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

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

Yes – Ajijic is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,990 per month in Ajijic and $1,806 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 Ajijic, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $844 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,327 in Ajijic and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 9% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $211 per month in Ajijic and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,327 in Ajijic and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,327 in Ajijic. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.