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

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Cancun is 15.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 6.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cancun is 38.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 1.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.12 MX$248
$11.99 MX$227
9.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.1 MX$985
$42.47 MX$803
22.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10 MX$189
$10.47 MX$198
-4.49%
Cappuccino
$3.51 MX$66.3
$3.6 MX$68.2
-2.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 MX$28.72
$1.44 MX$27.16
5.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 MX$17.91
$0.89 MX$16.79
6.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.95 MX$55.8
$3.09 MX$58.5
-4.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.63 MX$87.5
$4.58 MX$86.6
1.09%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 MX$26.88
$1.38 MX$26.04
2.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.54 MX$48.09
$1.85 MX$34.9
37.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.9 MX$35.91
$1.57 MX$29.68
21.02%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$47.77
$2.55 MX$48.3
-0.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 MX$213
$8.61 MX$163
30.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.33 MX$157
$8.54 MX$161
-2.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.79 MX$204
$10.98 MX$208
-1.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.27 MX$61.8
$2.72 MX$51.4
20.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 MX$29.99
$1.51 MX$28.57
5.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 MX$59.2
$1.88 MX$35.63
66.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 MX$40.22
$2.19 MX$41.42
-2.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 MX$39.58
$1.87 MX$35.3
11.76%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 MX$43
$2.19 MX$41.37
3.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.32
$1.07 MX$20.23
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 MX$24.87
$1.09 MX$20.64
21.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 MX$81.2
$3.96 MX$74.9
8.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.06 MX$171
$8.86 MX$167
2.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$31.27
$1.72 MX$32.53
-4.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$48.17
$2.61 MX$49.37
-2.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.62 MX$11.63
$0.52 MX$9.74
19.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.5 MX$1,125
$26.59 MX$503
123.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.16 MX$78.6
$3.24 MX$61.2
28.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.44 MX$46.16
$2.38 MX$44.94
2.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.12 MX$191
$3.11 MX$58.7
225.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$25.29
$1.31 MX$24.85
2.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$572.8K
$30.3K MX$573K
-0.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$443.4K
$24K MX$453.6K
-2.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$114 MX$2,157
$84.2 MX$1,592
35.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.66 MX$447
$22.14 MX$419
6.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.3 MX$686
$30.14 MX$570
20.44%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.87 MX$470
$52 MX$983
-52.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.63 MX$466
$18.72 MX$354
31.57%
Cinema Ticket
$6.09 MX$115
$5.07 MX$95.9
20.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,758
$200 MX$3,787
-0.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,336 MX$100.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
0.06%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.2 MX$1,024
$35.74 MX$676
51.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.79 MX$752
$39.8 MX$753
-0.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.2 MX$1,535
$79 MX$1,493
2.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 MX$2,065
$88.4 MX$1,671
23.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$631 MX$11.9K
$965 MX$18.3K
-34.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$458 MX$8,662
$474 MX$8,968
-3.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,269 MX$24K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-23.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,002 MX$18.9K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-16.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,083 MX$39.4K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-32.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,205 MX$41.7K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-70.71%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$749 MX$14.2K
$792 MX$15K
-5.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.42
-

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

Last update for Cancun: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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