Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barranquilla and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,473 in Barranquilla, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index
59

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

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Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,473

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,473 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Barranquilla $1,473
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,280 per month in Barranquilla vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Barranquilla $2,280
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,087 per month in Barranquilla vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Barranquilla $3,087
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Barranquilla costs about 22% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Barranquilla sits 9% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$10.76 MX$199

-13.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 COP 198.5K

$43.03 MX$795

45.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.02 COP 44.5K

$11.79 MX$218

18.91%

Cappuccino

$2.73 COP 8,664

$3.87 MX$71.4

-29.46%

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

$1.33 COP 4,230

$1.37 MX$25.29

-2.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,016

$0.84 MX$15.44

51.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 COP 10.1K

$3.10 MX$57.3

2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 COP 24.2K

$5.07 MX$93.6

50.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 COP 2,897

$1.44 MX$26.55

-36.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 COP 3,866

$2.23 MX$41.23

-45.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 COP 4,823

$1.47 MX$27.17

3.40%

Eggs

$2.16 COP 6,836

$2.53 MX$46.71

-14.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 COP 16.2K

$7.30 MX$135

-30.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.67 COP 56.0K

$7.86 MX$145

124.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 COP 21.5K

$12.79 MX$236

-46.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,823

$2.90 MX$53.6

-25.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,031

$1.44 MX$26.53

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.65 COP 2,047

$2.55 MX$47.07

-74.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,804

$2.06 MX$38.03

-11.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 COP 3,931

$2.00 MX$36.97

-38.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,055

$2.01 MX$37.07

-52.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 COP 3,911

$1.19 MX$22.02

3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 COP 3,052

$1.26 MX$23.23

-23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 COP 16.3K

$4.40 MX$81.4

17.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.50 COP 39.6K

$9.59 MX$177

30.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 COP 4,855

$1.59 MX$29.41

-3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 COP 15.1K

$2.81 MX$51.9

69.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,753

$0.57 MX$10.47

107.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 COP 10.9K

$4.98 MX$92.1

-31.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 COP 9,743

$3.50 MX$64.6

-12.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.45 COP 49.0K

$5.40 MX$99.8

186.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,178

$1.47 MX$27.08

-10.20%

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

$22.3K COP 70.8M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

6.46%

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

$29.3K COP 93.0M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

22.63%

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

$149 COP 473.8K

$84.2 MX$1,556

77.47%

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

$14.84 COP 47.0K

$23.99 MX$443

-38.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.41 COP 102.8K

$29.02 MX$536

11.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.30 COP 108.8K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-45.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 COP 14.5K

$4.94 MX$91.3

-7.49%

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

$317 COP 1.0M

$204 MX$3,763

55.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,749 COP 15.1M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

20.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 COP 362.0K

$43.60 MX$806

161.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.68 COP 151.2K

$43.12 MX$797

10.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$189 COP 600.2K

$75.8 MX$1,400

149.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 COP 797.8K

$88.6 MX$1,637

184.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 COP 2.5M

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-22.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 COP 1.6M

$374 MX$6,911

32.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 COP 2.5M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-53.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$878 COP 2.8M

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-20.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,843 COP 5.8M

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-53.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$641 COP 2.0M

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-89.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$506 COP 1.6M

$754 MX$13.9K

-32.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-12.66%

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

Last update for Barranquilla: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barranquilla

$495 33.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 24.4% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Barranquilla

$271 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 58.3% $158

Groceries & Markets

Barranquilla

$253 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 2.3% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barranquilla

$197 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 30.2% $59

Eating Out

Barranquilla

$191 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 6.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barranquilla

$43 3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 67.7% $29

Getting Around

Barranquilla

$24 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 124% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Barranquilla versus $1,008 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 49% 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 $63.0 in Barranquilla versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Barranquilla vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Barranquilla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

Same time as Barranquilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,327,209

149,923

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Barranquilla
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

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

Barranquilla costs about 22% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,209 per month in Barranquilla and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,473 in Barranquilla and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $317 per month in Barranquilla and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Barranquilla at $1,473. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barranquilla it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,473 in Barranquilla. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barranquilla makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.