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

😐 Solo nomad: Cancun is 7.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 9.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cancun is 28.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 1.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.33 MX$230
$11.61 MX$200
14.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.9 MX$914
$42.75 MX$738
23.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.94 MX$172
$10.60 MX$183
-6.23%
Cappuccino
$3.62 MX$62.5
$3.59 MX$62.0
0.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 MX$26.69
$1.45 MX$25.08
6.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 MX$16.67
$0.90 MX$15.50
7.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 MX$53.2
$3.03 MX$52.4
1.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.45 MX$76.9
$4.56 MX$78.8
-2.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.63
$1.45 MX$25.07
-5.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.61 MX$45.00
$1.83 MX$31.55
42.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.90 MX$32.77
$1.61 MX$27.77
18.01%
Eggs
$2.64 MX$45.54
$2.54 MX$43.82
3.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.38 MX$197
$8.54 MX$148
33.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$149
$8.47 MX$146
1.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.80 MX$186
$10.86 MX$188
-0.55%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 MX$54.7
$2.73 MX$47.13
16.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.58 MX$27.31
$1.49 MX$25.77
6.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$1.94 MX$33.55
67.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 MX$37.57
$2.16 MX$37.38
0.93%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 MX$36.43
$1.85 MX$31.88
14.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 MX$38.28
$2.19 MX$37.80
1.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.48
$1.07 MX$18.52
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$21.81
$1.08 MX$18.71
16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.16 MX$71.8
$4.06 MX$70.1
2.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.24 MX$177
$10.46 MX$181
-2.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.50
$1.65 MX$28.56
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 MX$43.26
$2.55 MX$44.01
-1.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.66 MX$11.33
$0.56 MX$9.60
17.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.7 MX$1,048
$26.20 MX$453
131.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.20 MX$72.5
$3.14 MX$54.2
33.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.56 MX$44.21
$2.37 MX$40.96
8.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.09 MX$174
$3.24 MX$56.0
211.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$22.80
$1.31 MX$22.70
0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K MX$528.6K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
0.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K MX$409.7K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-0.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 MX$1,982
$83.1 MX$1,436
38.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.15 MX$400
$22.15 MX$383
4.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.39 MX$611
$29.37 MX$507
20.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.45 MX$440
$51.2 MX$884
-50.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.32 MX$420
$18.69 MX$323
30.12%
Cinema Ticket
$6.11 MX$105
$4.89 MX$84.4
24.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,469
$199 MX$3,431
1.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,211 MX$90.0K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
0.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.2 MX$918
$35.93 MX$621
47.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.22 MX$695
$39.39 MX$680
2.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.1 MX$1,418
$80.3 MX$1,387
2.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 MX$1,857
$87.6 MX$1,512
22.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$617 MX$10.7K
$963 MX$16.6K
-35.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 MX$7,834
$482 MX$8,326
-5.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,286 MX$22.2K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-21.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$981 MX$16.9K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-17.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,258 MX$39.0K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-42.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,277 MX$39.3K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-65.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cancun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$13.7K
$726 MX$12.5K
9.02%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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