Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bahia de Caraquez and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez: $873 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Bahia de Caraquez
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Bahia de Caraquez Living Index
57

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

Jump to prices

Bahia de Caraquez

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$873

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $873 per month in Bahia de Caraquez vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bahia de Caraquez $873
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,437 per month in Bahia de Caraquez vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bahia de Caraquez $1,437
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,002 per month in Bahia de Caraquez vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Bahia de Caraquez $2,002
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Bahia de Caraquez is about 27% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bahia de Caraquez and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Bahia de Caraquez 35% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 $3.97

$10.67 MX$199

-62.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.2 $53.2

$43.80 MX$815

21.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.82 $8.82

$11.79 MX$219

-25.19%

Cappuccino

$2.79 $2.79

$3.79 MX$70.5

-26.39%

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

$0.92 $0.92

$1.30 MX$24.14

-29.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 $0.68

$0.83 MX$15.51

-18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.15 MX$58.6

-5.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.93 MX$91.8

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.41 MX$26.22

-14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.20 MX$40.86

-8.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.47 MX$27.40

-4.08%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$2.50 MX$46.46

-16.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.89 $6.89

$7.29 MX$136

-5.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$7.95 MX$148

-34.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.99 $8.99

$12.86 MX$239

-30.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.90 MX$53.9

-47.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.38 MX$25.74

-15.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.49 MX$46.35

-59.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.03 MX$37.77

-53.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.02 MX$37.68

-37.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.90 MX$35.42

-51.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.14 MX$21.30

-27.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.24 MX$23.05

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 $5.83

$4.27 MX$79.5

36.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 $11.84

$9.81 MX$183

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.59 MX$29.51

-3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.75 MX$51.1

-20.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.51 MX$9.58

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 $2.71

$4.76 MX$88.6

-43.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$3.25 MX$60.5

-47.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.85 $11.85

$5.39 MX$100

119.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.53 MX$28.44

-45.10%

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

$22.5K $22.5K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

6.27%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

33.60%

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

$33.68 $33.68

$83.5 MX$1,554

-59.66%

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

$15.13 $15.13

$23.19 MX$431

-34.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.40 $26.40

$27.61 MX$514

-4.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.48 $29.48

$56.4 MX$1,050

-47.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.45 $16.45

$28.19 MX$525

-41.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 $7.64

$5.00 MX$93.1

52.80%

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

$375 $375

$207 MX$3,854

81.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,635 $5,635

$5,231 MX$97.3K

7.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.0 $66.0

$43.45 MX$809

51.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.24 $41.24

$42.54 MX$792

-3.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$72.8 MX$1,354

72.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 $92.4

$88.4 MX$1,645

4.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 $414

$995 MX$18.5K

-58.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$382 MX$7,116

-28.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 $834

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-50.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 $509

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-52.93%

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 %)

10.05

11.45

-12.23%

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

Last update for Bahia de Caraquez: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bahia de Caraquez

$274 31.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 39.8% $109

Groceries & Markets

Bahia de Caraquez

$199 22.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 29.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Bahia de Caraquez

$146 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 24% $35

Eating Out

Bahia de Caraquez

$121 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 64.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bahia de Caraquez

$75 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 78.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Bahia de Caraquez

$45 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 48.4% $22

Getting Around

Bahia de Caraquez

$13 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 299% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $414 in Bahia de Caraquez versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Bahia de Caraquez versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $199 in Bahia de Caraquez vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Bahia de Caraquez wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Bahia de Caraquez

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

Same time as Bahia de Caraquez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,963

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bahia de Caraquez Playa del Carmen 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bahia de Caraquez
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

Bahia de Caraquez vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $873 in Bahia de Caraquez, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Bahia de Caraquez comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,309 per month in Bahia de Caraquez and $1,804 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 Bahia de Caraquez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Bahia de Caraquez and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bahia de Caraquez, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Bahia de Caraquez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bahia de Caraquez costs $873 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.