Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenaventura and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,391 in Buenaventura, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
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Buenaventura Living Index
57

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

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Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,391

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,391 per month in Buenaventura vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Buenaventura $1,391
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,090 per month in Buenaventura vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,090
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,790 per month in Buenaventura vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,790
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Buenaventura costs about 16% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Buenaventura sits 3% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 COP 23.2K

$10.67 MX$201

-32.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 COP 155.2K

$43.80 MX$824

9.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 COP 31.2K

$11.79 MX$222

-18.32%

Cappuccino

$2.63 COP 8,523

$3.79 MX$71.2

-30.61%

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

$1.37 COP 4,444

$1.30 MX$24.41

5.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 COP 3,484

$0.83 MX$15.69

28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 COP 10.3K

$3.15 MX$59.2

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 COP 11.9K

$4.93 MX$92.9

-25.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,863

$1.41 MX$26.51

6.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 COP 7,976

$2.20 MX$41.32

11.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 COP 5,626

$1.47 MX$27.71

17.69%

Eggs

$3.05 COP 9,879

$2.50 MX$46.99

22.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 COP 26.6K

$7.29 MX$137

12.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.63 COP 31.2K

$7.95 MX$150

21.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.33 COP 40.0K

$12.86 MX$242

-4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 COP 11.9K

$2.90 MX$54.5

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,776

$1.38 MX$26.03

6.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,257

$2.49 MX$46.88

-22.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 COP 6,611

$2.03 MX$38.20

0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,197

$2.02 MX$38.11

-20.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,769

$1.90 MX$35.82

-22.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,828

$1.14 MX$21.54

3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 COP 3,876

$1.24 MX$23.32

-4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 COP 13.4K

$4.27 MX$80.4

-3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 COP 43.6K

$9.81 MX$185

37.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 COP 4,882

$1.59 MX$29.85

-5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 COP 7,419

$2.75 MX$51.7

-16.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 COP 3,618

$0.51 MX$9.69

119.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 COP 212.4K

$27.39 MX$515

139.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 COP 5,027

$4.76 MX$89.6

-67.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 COP 6,865

$3.25 MX$61.1

-34.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 COP 27.6K

$5.39 MX$101

57.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,226

$1.53 MX$28.76

-15.03%

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

$34.3K COP 111.1M

$21.2K MX$399.2K

61.49%

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

$34.2K COP 111.0M

$23.3K MX$437.8K

47.18%

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

$126 COP 409.9K

$83.5 MX$1,571

51.37%

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

$13.41 COP 43.5K

$23.19 MX$436

-42.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.93 COP 93.8K

$27.61 MX$520

4.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.30 COP 124.2K

$56.4 MX$1,062

-32.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 COP 23.0K

$5.00 MX$94.1

42.00%

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

$594 COP 1.9M

$207 MX$3,897

187.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,415 COP 27.3M

$5,231 MX$98.4K

60.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.3 COP 276.5K

$43.45 MX$818

96.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 COP 172.0K

$42.54 MX$801

24.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 436.5K

$72.8 MX$1,369

84.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 COP 328.0K

$88.4 MX$1,663

14.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 COP 2.3M

$995 MX$18.7K

-28.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 COP 1.6M

$382 MX$7,197

27.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 COP 4.6M

$1,674 MX$31.5K

-15.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$787 COP 2.6M

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-27.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,243 COP 7.3M

$3,909 MX$73.6K

-42.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,731 COP 5.6M

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-71.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.80%

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

Last update for Buenaventura: November 3, 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

Buenaventura

$489 35.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 21.9% $107

Groceries & Markets

Buenaventura

$279 20.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 7.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenaventura

$169 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 20.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Buenaventura

$168 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 33.9% $57

Eating Out

Buenaventura

$151 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 32.9% $50

Getting Around

Buenaventura

$82 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 38.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Buenaventura

$52 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 26.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $709 in Buenaventura 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 $48 in Buenaventura versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

Same time as Buenaventura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,607

149,923

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenaventura Playa del Carmen 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Buenaventura
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,391 in Buenaventura, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,086 per month in Buenaventura 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 Buenaventura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $709 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Buenaventura, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Buenaventura and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,391 in Buenaventura. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.