Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caguas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,621 in Caguas, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
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Caguas Living Index
59

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

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Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Caguas vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Caguas $1,621
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,580 per month in Caguas vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Caguas $2,580
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,539 per month in Caguas vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Caguas $3,539
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Caguas costs about 34% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Caguas sits 20% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.74 $14.74

$10.76 MX$199

36.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 $82.9

$43.03 MX$795

92.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 $8.99

$11.79 MX$218

-23.75%

Cappuccino

$2.28 $2.28

$3.87 MX$71.4

-41.09%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$1.37 MX$25.29

-18.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.84 MX$15.44

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.10 MX$57.3

-50.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$5.07 MX$93.6

-18.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.44 MX$26.55

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.23 MX$41.23

25.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.47 MX$27.17

57.14%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$2.53 MX$46.71

96.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$7.30 MX$135

-5.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 $9.13

$7.86 MX$145

16.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$12.79 MX$236

-6.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.90 MX$53.6

77.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.44 MX$26.53

81.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.55 MX$47.07

-6.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.06 MX$38.03

119.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.00 MX$36.97

28.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.01 MX$37.07

34.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.19 MX$22.02

89.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.26 MX$23.23

26.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 $10.64

$4.40 MX$81.4

141.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 $14.03

$9.59 MX$177

46.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.59 MX$29.41

-8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.81 MX$51.9

-22.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.57 MX$10.47

247.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.3 $70.3

$27.82 MX$514

152.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$4.98 MX$92.1

-51.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.50 MX$64.6

-56.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.73 $42.73

$5.40 MX$99.8

691.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.47 MX$27.08

-39.46%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

45.55%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

7.86%

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

$185 $185

$84.2 MX$1,556

119.91%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$23.99 MX$443

149.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.2 $56.2

$29.02 MX$536

93.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.28 $35.28

$63.0 MX$1,164

-43.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.9 $50.9

$29.14 MX$539

74.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 $9.83

$4.94 MX$91.3

98.99%

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

$300 $300

$204 MX$3,763

47.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

211.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.14 $26.14

$43.60 MX$806

-40.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 $35.43

$43.12 MX$797

-17.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 $81.1

$75.8 MX$1,400

7.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.6 MX$1,637

29.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 $752

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-25.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 $528

$374 MX$6,911

41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 $1,080

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-36.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 $977

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-11.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-38.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$849 $849

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-86.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,041 $3,041

$754 MX$13.9K

303.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.85

11.45

-57.64%

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

Last update for Caguas: October 12, 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

Caguas

$528 32.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 29.1% $154

Groceries & Markets

Caguas

$336 20.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 23% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caguas

$301 18.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 54.5% $164

Eating Out

Caguas

$198 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 2.4% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Caguas

$116 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 2.5% $2.9

Getting Around

Caguas

$88 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 40.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Caguas

$55 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 32.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $752 in Caguas 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 303% higher in Caguas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Caguas versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Caguas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

1 h behind Caguas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,318

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Caguas Playa del Carmen 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Caguas
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

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

Caguas costs about 34% 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 $2,432 per month in Caguas 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Caguas and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,621 in Caguas and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,621 in Caguas. 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, Caguas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.