Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucaramanga and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucaramanga and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Bucaramanga is 36.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 39.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bucaramanga is 40.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 49.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bucaramanga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.07 COP 11.5K
$11.85 MX$211
-74.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.31 COP 72.6K
$42.16 MX$750
-54.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.63 COP 24.9K
$10.75 MX$191
-38.33%
Cappuccino
$1.35 COP 5,069
$3.47 MX$61.8
-61.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 COP 2,698
$1.45 MX$25.85
-50.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 COP 2,088
$0.90 MX$16.06
-37.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.40 COP 5,280
$3.05 MX$54.3
-54.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 COP 7,624
$4.42 MX$78.6
-54.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bucaramanga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 COP 4,612
$1.37 MX$24.36
-10.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.11 COP 4,161
$1.87 MX$33.31
-40.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 COP 4,685
$1.54 MX$27.46
-18.83%
Eggs
$2.26 COP 8,485
$2.50 MX$44.53
-9.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.22 COP 15.9K
$8.61 MX$153
-50.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.83 COP 21.9K
$8.63 MX$154
-32.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.29 COP 27.4K
$11.02 MX$196
-33.85%
Apples (1kg)
$2.59 COP 9,724
$2.75 MX$48.91
-5.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 COP 4,426
$1.43 MX$25.41
-17.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.89 COP 3,353
$1.87 MX$33.32
-52.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.91 COP 3,429
$2.17 MX$38.56
-58.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 COP 4,451
$1.88 MX$33.50
-37.23%
Onion (1kg)
$0.95 COP 3,572
$2.25 MX$39.96
-57.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 COP 3,446
$1.07 MX$18.99
-14.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 COP 2,970
$1.07 MX$19.10
-26.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.74 COP 6,555
$4.15 MX$73.9
-58.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.71 COP 29.0K
$10.34 MX$184
-25.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 COP 2,933
$1.68 MX$29.87
-53.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 COP 5,886
$2.48 MX$44.19
-36.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Bucaramanga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 COP 2,591
$0.55 MX$9.87
25.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.35 COP 144.2K
$26.53 MX$472
44.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.76 COP 6,633
$3.22 MX$57.2
-45.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 COP 5,775
$2.48 MX$44.15
-37.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.93 COP 22.3K
$3.11 MX$55.3
90.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 COP 3,781
$1.26 MX$22.34
-19.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K COP 72.7M
$30.7K MX$545.4K
-36.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.1K COP 105.8M
$24.0K MX$427.6K
17.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bucaramanga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$74.4 COP 279.9K
$82.5 MX$1,467
-9.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.96 COP 33.7K
$22.29 MX$396
-59.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.58 COP 77.4K
$30.02 MX$534
-31.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bucaramanga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.37 COP 87.9K
$51.4 MX$915
-54.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.97 COP 60.0K
$18.29 MX$325
-12.68%
Cinema Ticket
$3.79 COP 14.3K
$4.98 MX$88.7
-23.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bucaramanga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$236 COP 886.8K
$200 MX$3,558
17.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,405 COP 9.0M
$5,304 MX$94.4K
-54.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bucaramanga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.9 COP 240.3K
$35.71 MX$635
78.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.17 COP 121.0K
$39.56 MX$704
-18.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.7 COP 318.3K
$80.6 MX$1,433
5.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$38.67 COP 145.4K
$88.3 MX$1,571
-56.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bucaramanga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$291 COP 1.1M
$969 MX$17.2K
-69.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$235 COP 883.3K
$482 MX$8,579
-51.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$481 COP 1.8M
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-69.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$378 COP 1.4M
$1,184 MX$21.1K
-68.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,263 COP 4.7M
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-68.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,369 COP 5.1M
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-79.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bucaramanga
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$479 COP 1.8M
$756 MX$13.5K
-36.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15.25
11.42
33.54%

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

Last update for Bucaramanga: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities