Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $587 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$587

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $587 in Calama versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Calama $587
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,195 in Calama versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Calama $1,195
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Calama versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Calama $1,802
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Calama costs roughly 51% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calama 57% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.93 CLP 6,816

$10.92 MX$204

-36.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.87 CLP 31.4K

$43.37 MX$810

-26.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

Cappuccino

$1.99 CLP 1,957

$3.81 MX$71.2

-47.77%

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

$0.87 CLP 858

$1.28 MX$23.96

-32.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 CLP 851

$0.78 MX$14.63

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 CLP 2,934

$3.17 MX$59.2

-5.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CLP 4,828

$4.93 MX$92.2

-0.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 CLP 1,103

$1.41 MX$26.28

-20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 CLP 784

$2.22 MX$41.43

-63.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 CLP 2,636

$1.42 MX$26.48

88.73%

Eggs

$4.80 CLP 4,723

$2.52 MX$47.14

90.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 CLP 8,835

$7.26 MX$136

23.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 CLP 6,032

$7.70 MX$144

-20.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 CLP 7,304

$12.69 MX$237

-41.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,167

$2.78 MX$52.0

-57.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,010

$1.37 MX$25.56

-24.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,462

$2.55 MX$47.66

-41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,065

$2.12 MX$39.67

-49.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 882

$1.94 MX$36.22

-53.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 CLP 960

$1.89 MX$35.24

-48.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 CLP 5,102

$4.30 MX$80.3

20.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 CLP 4,080

$9.95 MX$186

-58.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 CLP 1,020

$1.58 MX$29.59

-34.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CLP 1,180

$2.67 MX$49.91

-55.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 935

$0.55 MX$10.34

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CLP 1,439

$3.33 MX$62.2

-56.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,401

$1.44 MX$26.98

-1.39%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

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

$40.80 CLP 40.1K

$84.8 MX$1,584

-51.88%

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

$23.41 MX$437

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 CLP 13.0K

$28.66 MX$535

-54.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 CLP 49.9K

$57.1 MX$1,066

-11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CLP 19.6K

$28.91 MX$540

-30.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 CLP 4,441

$5.14 MX$96.0

-12.26%

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

$305 CLP 300.5K

$207 MX$3,860

47.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.75 CLP 34.2K

$43.35 MX$810

-19.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 CLP 27.6K

$41.44 MX$774

-32.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.75 CLP 44.0K

$74.2 MX$1,386

-39.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 CLP 59.3K

$89.3 MX$1,668

-32.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 CLP 316.9K

$980 MX$18.3K

-67.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 CLP 101.3K

$381 MX$7,116

-72.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 CLP 782.4K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-53.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 CLP 606.6K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-42.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,406 CLP 1.4M

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-64.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,221 CLP 1.2M

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-80.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 CLP 1.1M

$735 MX$13.7K

48.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-56.33%

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

Last update for Calama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$173 * 29.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 47.3% $82

Eating Out

Calama

$111 * 18.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 82.4% $91

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$103 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 270% $278

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$76 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 47.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$60 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12.6% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$54 * 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 154% $83

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 354% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $322 in Calama and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Calama vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $255 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

2 h behind Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

149,923

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.17 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,095 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calama Playa del Carmen 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
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

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

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Calama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $322 in Calama versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $587 per month in Calama versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $587 in Calama versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.