Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Candelaria and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,327 in Candelaria, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Candelaria despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Candelaria
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Candelaria Living Index
58

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

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Candelaria

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,327 per month in Candelaria vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Candelaria $1,327
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Candelaria vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Candelaria $2,085
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,844 per month in Candelaria vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Candelaria $2,844
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Candelaria costs about 10% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Candelaria and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Candelaria 3% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.01 $19.01

$10.92 MX$204

74.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 $81.5

$43.37 MX$808

87.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 $9.21

$11.78 MX$220

-21.82%

Cappuccino

$3.70 $3.70

$3.81 MX$71.0

-2.89%

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

$1.88 $1.88

$1.28 MX$23.90

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.78 MX$14.59

87.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.17 MX$59.0

-3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.93 MX$92.0

0.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.41 MX$26.22

53.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.22 MX$41.33

59.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.42 MX$26.42

64.08%

Eggs

$7.19 $7.19

$2.52 MX$47.03

185.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.26 MX$135

70.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$7.70 MX$143

28.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 $13.47

$12.69 MX$237

6.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.78 MX$51.9

83.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.37 MX$25.50

87.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.55 MX$47.55

89.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.12 MX$39.58

129.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.94 MX$36.13

91.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.89 MX$35.16

110.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.15 MX$21.37

193.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.18 MX$21.98

40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.10 $12.10

$4.30 MX$80.1

181.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 $15.81

$9.95 MX$185

58.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.58 MX$29.52

97.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.67 MX$49.79

53.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$4.97 MX$92.6

-50.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.33 MX$62.1

-54.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$5.36 MX$99.8

668.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.44 MX$26.92

-18.75%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

64.68%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

20.35%

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

$326 $326

$84.8 MX$1,581

284.75%

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

$68.8 $68.8

$23.41 MX$436

194.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$28.66 MX$534

142.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.69 $10.69

$5.14 MX$95.8

107.98%

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

$806 $806

$207 MX$3,851

290.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

212.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$43.35 MX$808

28.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 $61.3

$41.44 MX$772

47.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$74.2 MX$1,383

47.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$89.3 MX$1,664

27.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Candelaria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Candelaria

$464 35%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70.5% $328

Groceries & Markets

Candelaria

$415 31.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.6% $160

Eating Out

Candelaria

$263 19.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 23% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Candelaria

$153 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Candelaria

$21 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 215% $46

Getting Around

Candelaria

$10 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 404% $40

Accommodation & Living

Candelaria

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Candelaria versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Candelaria

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

1 h behind Candelaria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,631

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Candelaria Playa del Carmen 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Candelaria
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,327 in Candelaria, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,990 per month in Candelaria and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,327 in Candelaria and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $806 per month in Candelaria and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,327 in Candelaria and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,327 in Candelaria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.