Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Babahoyo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $797 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
Learn more

Babahoyo Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$797

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $797 in Babahoyo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Babahoyo $797
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,299 in Babahoyo versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Babahoyo $1,299
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,801 in Babahoyo versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Babahoyo $1,801
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Babahoyo costs roughly 34% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Babahoyo 41% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 $3.35

$10.92 MX$204

-69.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.80 $37.80

$43.37 MX$808

-12.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 $6.68

$11.78 MX$220

-43.29%

Cappuccino

$2.87 $2.87

$3.81 MX$71.0

-24.67%

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

$0.83 $0.83

$1.28 MX$23.90

-35.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 $0.82

$0.78 MX$14.59

5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.17 MX$59.0

-10.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$4.93 MX$92.0

-29.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.41 MX$26.22

-24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.22 MX$41.33

-22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.42 MX$26.42

9.15%

Eggs

$1.94 $1.94

$2.52 MX$47.03

-23.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.64 $6.64

$7.26 MX$135

-8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$7.70 MX$143

-37.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$12.69 MX$237

-42.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.78 MX$51.9

-23.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.37 MX$25.50

-17.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.55 MX$47.55

-46.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.12 MX$39.58

-49.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.94 MX$36.13

-27.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.89 MX$35.16

-41.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.15 MX$21.37

-32.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.18 MX$21.98

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.82 $5.82

$4.30 MX$80.1

35.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$9.95 MX$185

-25.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.58 MX$29.52

-12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.67 MX$49.79

6.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 $0.30

$0.55 MX$10.31

-45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 $1.52

$4.97 MX$92.6

-69.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.33 MX$62.1

-66.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.45 $10.45

$5.36 MX$99.8

94.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.44 MX$26.92

-50.00%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

10.01%

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

$34.1K $34.1K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

45.53%

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

$33.73 $33.73

$84.8 MX$1,581

-60.22%

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

$12.14 $12.14

$23.41 MX$436

-48.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.59 $26.59

$28.66 MX$534

-7.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.18 $29.18

$57.1 MX$1,063

-48.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.29 $16.29

$28.91 MX$539

-43.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 $7.88

$5.14 MX$95.8

53.31%

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

$299 $299

$207 MX$3,851

44.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,114 $5,114

$3,927 MX$73.2K

30.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.4 $60.4

$43.35 MX$808

39.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$41.44 MX$772

20.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 $93.3

$74.2 MX$1,383

25.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 $67.1

$89.3 MX$1,664

-24.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 $395

$980 MX$18.3K

-59.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 $256

$381 MX$7,099

-32.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 $772

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-54.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 $504

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-53.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.09

11.45

-11.88%

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

Last update for Babahoyo: 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

Babahoyo

$256 32.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 49% $125

Groceries & Markets

Babahoyo

$185 23.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 37.8% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Babahoyo

$122 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 8.3% $10

Eating Out

Babahoyo

$109 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 85.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Babahoyo

$72 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 88.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Babahoyo

$45 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 49.8% $22

Getting Around

Babahoyo

$8.3 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 506% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $395 in Babahoyo and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Babahoyo vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $255 per month, with Babahoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

Same time as Babahoyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,164

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Babahoyo Playa del Carmen 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Babahoyo
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

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

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Babahoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,196 in Babahoyo 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: $395 in Babahoyo versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $299 in Babahoyo 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 Babahoyo – a meal for two runs $38 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.