Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atotonilco el Alto and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Atotonilco el Alto and in Playa del Carmen: $1,224 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Atotonilco el Alto
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Atotonilco el Alto Living Index
58

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

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Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,224

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Atotonilco el Alto $1,224
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,963 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Atotonilco el Alto $1,963
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Atotonilco el Alto $2,703
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Monthly costs are close between Atotonilco el Alto and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Atotonilco el Alto 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.57 MX$198

$10.92 MX$205

-3.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 MX$1,187

$43.37 MX$813

46.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 MX$172

$11.78 MX$221

-22.24%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$69.0

$3.81 MX$71.4

-3.41%

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

$1.53 MX$28.73

$1.28 MX$24.03

19.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$0.78 MX$14.67

32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$3.17 MX$59.3

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 MX$103

$4.93 MX$92.5

11.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$36.06

$1.41 MX$26.35

36.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$49.47

$2.22 MX$41.54

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.85

$1.42 MX$26.56

38.73%

Eggs

$2.70 MX$50.5

$2.52 MX$47.27

7.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 MX$161

$7.26 MX$136

18.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 MX$167

$7.70 MX$144

15.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.63 MX$255

$12.69 MX$238

7.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MX$64.8

$2.78 MX$52.2

24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.56

$1.37 MX$25.64

18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.99

$2.55 MX$47.80

-14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.98

$2.12 MX$39.78

-9.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.56

$1.94 MX$36.32

-7.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.77

$1.89 MX$35.34

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.13

$1.15 MX$21.49

26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.56

$1.18 MX$22.09

1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MX$83.6

$4.30 MX$80.5

3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 MX$326

$9.95 MX$186

74.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 MX$39.17

$1.58 MX$29.67

32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 MX$74.4

$2.67 MX$50.1

48.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.77

$0.55 MX$10.37

14.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 MX$614

$26.62 MX$499

23.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 MX$59.6

$4.97 MX$93.1

-36.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 MX$49.39

$3.33 MX$62.4

-20.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.88 MX$204

$5.36 MX$100

102.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$28.01

$1.44 MX$27.06

3.47%

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

$24.6K MX$460.6K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

18.93%

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

$23.2K MX$434.4K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

-1.22%

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

$56.9 MX$1,065

$84.8 MX$1,589

-32.95%

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

$26.54 MX$497

$23.41 MX$439

13.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 MX$456

$28.66 MX$537

-15.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.94 MX$580

$57.1 MX$1,069

-45.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.94 MX$411

$28.91 MX$542

-24.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 MX$137

$5.14 MX$96.3

42.02%

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

$257 MX$4,822

$207 MX$3,871

24.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,041 MX$94.5K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

28.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 MX$988

$43.35 MX$812

21.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.51 MX$834

$41.44 MX$777

7.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,876

$74.2 MX$1,390

34.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 MX$1,791

$89.3 MX$1,672

7.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$9,725

$980 MX$18.4K

-47.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$7,317

$381 MX$7,136

2.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 MX$21.7K

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-32.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 MX$12.5K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-37.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,623 MX$30.4K

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-58.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,218 MX$22.8K

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-80.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

11.45

4.72%

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

Last update for Atotonilco el Alto: October 25, 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

Atotonilco el Alto

$390 31.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 2.5% $9.6

Groceries & Markets

Atotonilco el Alto

$303 24.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 16% $49

Eating Out

Atotonilco el Alto

$193 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 4.7% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Atotonilco el Alto

$132 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atotonilco el Alto

$108 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 27% $29

Getting Around

Atotonilco el Alto

$52 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2.3% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Atotonilco el Alto

$46 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 47.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $519 in Atotonilco el Alto and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63 in Atotonilco el Alto vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

13:14 1:14 PM

1 h ahead of Atotonilco el Alto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,874

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Atotonilco el Alto Playa del Carmen 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Atotonilco el Alto
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

Atotonilco el Alto vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,836 in Atotonilco el Alto and $1,806 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $519 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $257 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $63 in Atotonilco el Alto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.