Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo Rojo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,236 in Cabo Rojo, rent and utilities included – about $410 less a year. The total is higher in Cabo Rojo despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Rojo
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Cabo Rojo Living Index
57

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

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Cabo Rojo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,236

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Cabo Rojo vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cabo Rojo $1,236
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,948 per month in Cabo Rojo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cabo Rojo $1,948
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,659 per month in Cabo Rojo vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cabo Rojo $2,659
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Cabo Rojo costs about 3% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cabo Rojo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Cabo Rojo 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.02 $10.02

$10.67 MX$199

-6.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 $83.4

$43.80 MX$815

90.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 $8.79

$11.79 MX$219

-25.45%

Cappuccino

$3.63 $3.63

$3.79 MX$70.5

-4.22%

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

$1.85 $1.85

$1.30 MX$24.14

42.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$0.83 MX$15.51

80.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.15 MX$58.6

-51.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$4.93 MX$91.8

-30.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.41 MX$26.22

51.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.20 MX$40.86

62.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.47 MX$27.40

66.67%

Eggs

$7.37 $7.37

$2.50 MX$46.47

194.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.29 MX$136

69.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.86 $9.86

$7.95 MX$148

24.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 $13.20

$12.86 MX$239

2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.90 MX$53.9

73.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.38 MX$25.74

90.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.49 MX$46.36

95.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.03 MX$37.78

135.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.02 MX$37.69

92.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$1.90 MX$35.42

102.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.14 MX$21.30

197.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.24 MX$23.06

28.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.02 $12.02

$4.27 MX$79.5

181.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.43 $15.43

$9.81 MX$183

57.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.59 MX$29.51

96.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.75 MX$51.1

46.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$4.76 MX$88.6

-46.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.25 MX$60.5

-53.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.46 $42.46

$5.39 MX$100

687.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.53 MX$28.44

-49.67%

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

$34.1K $34.1K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

60.83%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

19.21%

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

$325 $325

$83.5 MX$1,554

289.66%

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

$65.7 $65.7

$23.19 MX$431

183.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 $70.3

$27.61 MX$514

154.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$10.69 $10.69

$5.00 MX$93.1

113.80%

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

$816 $816

$207 MX$3,854

294.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

134.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$43.45 MX$809

28.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.1 $62.1

$42.54 MX$792

46.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$72.8 MX$1,354

48.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$88.4 MX$1,645

27.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

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)

$4,260 $4,260

$832 MX$15.5K

411.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Cabo Rojo: 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.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo Rojo

$461 37.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 70.9% $327

Groceries & Markets

Cabo Rojo

$413 33.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 37.7% $156

Eating Out

Cabo Rojo

$178 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 12.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo Rojo

$152 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 26.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo Rojo

$21 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 211% $45

Getting Around

Cabo Rojo

$10 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 400% $40

Accommodation & Living

Cabo Rojo

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Cabo Rojo are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Cabo Rojo versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $413 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Cabo Rojo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

1 h behind Cabo Rojo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cabo Rojo Playa del Carmen 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cabo Rojo
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

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

Cabo Rojo costs about 3% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,855 per month in Cabo Rojo and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Cabo Rojo and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $816 per month in Cabo Rojo and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,236 in Cabo Rojo and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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 $1,236 in Cabo Rojo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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