Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,398 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Cancun vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cancun $1,398
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,267 per month in Cancun vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cancun $2,267
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,136 per month in Cancun vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cancun $3,136
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Cancun costs about 16% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cancun sits 4% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 MX$200

$10.76 MX$199

0.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$994

$43.03 MX$795

24.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 MX$213

$11.79 MX$218

-2.04%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$3.87 MX$71.4

-0.26%

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

$1.34 MX$24.78

$1.37 MX$25.29

-2.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.57

$0.84 MX$15.44

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.10 MX$57.3

-1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.3

$5.07 MX$93.6

-18.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.29

$1.44 MX$26.55

13.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.72

$2.23 MX$41.23

15.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.12

$1.47 MX$27.17

14.29%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.53 MX$46.71

10.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 MX$183

$7.30 MX$135

35.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 MX$163

$7.86 MX$145

12.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 MX$263

$12.79 MX$236

11.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.1

$2.90 MX$53.6

1.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.88

$1.44 MX$26.53

15.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 MX$55.5

$2.55 MX$47.07

18.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.55

$2.06 MX$38.03

6.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.91

$2.00 MX$36.97

-3.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$2.01 MX$37.07

-2.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.23

$1.19 MX$22.02

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.51

$1.26 MX$23.23

-3.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 MX$80.3

$4.40 MX$81.4

-1.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$185

$9.59 MX$177

4.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$2.81 MX$51.9

-0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.66

$0.57 MX$10.47

19.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.10 MX$538

$27.82 MX$514

4.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MX$79.9

$4.98 MX$92.1

-13.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$3.50 MX$64.6

-19.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 MX$253

$5.40 MX$99.8

153.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.28

$1.47 MX$27.08

4.08%

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

$21.3K MX$394.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

1.67%

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

$23.8K MX$439.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-0.44%

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

$170 MX$3,149

$84.2 MX$1,556

102.36%

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

$23.44 MX$433

$23.99 MX$443

-2.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.92 MX$719

$29.02 MX$536

34.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.26 MX$596

$63.0 MX$1,164

-48.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 MX$244

$29.14 MX$539

-54.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$135

$4.94 MX$91.3

47.57%

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

$204 MX$3,761

$204 MX$3,763

-0.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,396 MX$99.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

36.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$999

$43.60 MX$806

23.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MX$1,021

$43.12 MX$797

28.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 MX$1,368

$75.8 MX$1,400

-2.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 MX$1,737

$88.6 MX$1,637

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.2K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-34.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 MX$8,445

$374 MX$6,911

22.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 MX$26.0K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-17.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-4.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 MX$23.4K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-67.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 MX$35.9K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-68.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 MX$14.8K

$754 MX$13.9K

6.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Cancun: October 13, 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

Cancun

$457 32.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 18.2% $83

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 9.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$233 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 41.1% $96

Eating Out

Cancun

$200 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 1.1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$125 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 9.5% $12

Getting Around

Cancun

$50 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 4.6% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$47 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 55.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $660 in Cancun 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 6% higher in Cancun, 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 $54.0 in Cancun versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

Same time as Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Cancun, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Cancun 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.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Cancun and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Cancun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Cancun at $1,398. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,398 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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