Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boca del Rio and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Boca del Rio: $1,167 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Boca del Rio
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Boca del Rio Living Index
58

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

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Boca del Rio

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,167

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,167 per month in Boca del Rio vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Boca del Rio $1,167
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,904 per month in Boca del Rio vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Boca del Rio $1,904
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,641 per month in Boca del Rio vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Boca del Rio $2,641
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Boca del Rio is about 3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Boca del Rio and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Boca del Rio 14% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 MX$205

$10.92 MX$204

0.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.22 MX$806

$43.37 MX$808

-0.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 MX$160

$11.78 MX$220

-27.33%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$66.9

$3.81 MX$71.0

-5.77%

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

$1.33 MX$24.72

$1.28 MX$23.90

3.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.48

$0.78 MX$14.59

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.89

$3.17 MX$59.0

-25.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MX$73.3

$4.93 MX$92.0

-20.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.46

$1.41 MX$26.22

4.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 MX$49.67

$2.22 MX$41.33

19.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.57

$1.42 MX$26.42

23.24%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.70

$2.52 MX$47.03

-0.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 MX$152

$7.26 MX$135

12.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.11 MX$151

$7.70 MX$143

5.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.70 MX$218

$12.69 MX$237

-7.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 MX$45.59

$2.78 MX$51.9

-11.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.47

$1.37 MX$25.50

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 MX$31.00

$2.55 MX$47.55

-34.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.26

$2.12 MX$39.58

-16.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 MX$41.83

$1.94 MX$36.13

15.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.60

$1.89 MX$35.16

-7.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 MX$24.93

$1.15 MX$21.37

16.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 MX$17.98

$1.18 MX$21.98

-18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 MX$71.3

$4.30 MX$80.1

-11.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.62 MX$179

$9.95 MX$185

-3.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.72

$1.58 MX$29.52

21.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 MX$61.1

$2.67 MX$49.79

22.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.62

$0.55 MX$10.31

23.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 MX$632

$26.62 MX$496

27.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 MX$52.3

$4.97 MX$92.6

-43.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 MX$39.14

$3.33 MX$62.1

-36.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.32 MX$174

$5.36 MX$99.8

73.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.05

$1.44 MX$26.92

-2.78%

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

$22.7K MX$423.2K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

9.87%

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

$22.6K MX$420.6K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-3.85%

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

$55.1 MX$1,027

$84.8 MX$1,581

-35.05%

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

$24.45 MX$456

$23.41 MX$436

4.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.52 MX$476

$28.66 MX$534

-10.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.45 MX$624

$57.1 MX$1,063

-41.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.12 MX$356

$28.91 MX$539

-33.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 MX$110

$5.14 MX$95.8

14.40%

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

$201 MX$3,745

$207 MX$3,851

-2.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,612 MX$86.0K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

17.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 MX$1,107

$43.35 MX$808

37.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.15 MX$674

$41.44 MX$772

-12.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 MX$1,953

$74.2 MX$1,383

41.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 MX$1,785

$89.3 MX$1,664

7.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 MX$11.6K

$980 MX$18.3K

-36.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 MX$7,249

$381 MX$7,099

2.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.7K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-38.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 MX$15.3K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-23.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,000 MX$37.3K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-49.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,169 MX$21.8K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-81.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.45

-1.22%

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

Last update for Boca del Rio: October 24, 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

Boca del Rio

$389 33.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 2.1% $8.1

Groceries & Markets

Boca del Rio

$259 22.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.6% $4.2

Eating Out

Boca del Rio

$186 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Boca del Rio

$133 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boca del Rio

$105 9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.3% $32

Getting Around

Boca del Rio

$50 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1.1% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Boca del Rio

$45 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 48.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $622 in Boca del Rio 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Boca del Rio versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Boca del Rio vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Boca del Rio

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

15:38 3:38 PM

1 h ahead of Boca del Rio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Boca del Rio Playa del Carmen 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Boca del Rio
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,167 in Boca del Rio, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Boca del Rio comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,750 per month in Boca del Rio 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 Boca del Rio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $622 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Boca del Rio and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,167 in Boca del Rio and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Boca del Rio about 3% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,167 in Boca del Rio and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Boca del Rio – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.