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

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Cartagena is 26.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 13% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cartagena is 16.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 13.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cartagena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.84 €11.95
$11.99 MX$227
15.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.9 €49.13
$42.47 MX$803
34.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.26 €7.14
$10.47 MX$198
-21.11%
Cappuccino
$2.54 €2.19
$3.6 MX$68.2
-29.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 €2.1
$1.44 MX$27.16
68.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.71
$0.89 MX$16.79
122.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.43 €2.96
$3.09 MX$58.5
11.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 €2.93
$4.58 MX$86.6
-25.98%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cartagena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €0.99
$1.38 MX$26.04
-17.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 €0.9
$1.85 MX$34.9
-43.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 €1.46
$1.57 MX$29.68
7.64%
Eggs
$2.9 €2.51
$2.55 MX$48.3
13.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.56 €9.98
$8.61 MX$163
34.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.6 €7.42
$8.54 MX$161
0.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.13 €12.2
$10.98 MX$208
28.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €1.96
$2.72 MX$51.4
-16.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 €1.53
$1.51 MX$28.57
17.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 €1.19
$1.88 MX$35.63
-26.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.7 €1.47
$2.19 MX$41.42
-22.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 €1.11
$1.87 MX$35.3
-31.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.06 €0.92
$2.19 MX$41.37
-51.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 €0.92
$1.07 MX$20.23
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 €0.45
$1.09 MX$20.64
-52.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.82 €5.03
$3.96 MX$74.9
46.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.95 €5.14
$8.86 MX$167
-32.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 €0.96
$1.72 MX$32.53
-35.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.3 €1.12
$2.61 MX$49.37
-50.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Cartagena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.42 €1.22
$0.52 MX$9.74
173.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.44 €9.88
$26.59 MX$503
-56.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.56 €3.08
$3.24 MX$61.2
9.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.21 €1.05
$2.38 MX$44.94
-49.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.51 €21.16
$3.11 MX$58.7
688.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.57
$1.31 MX$24.85
38.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K €26.1K
$30.3K MX$573K
-0.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €27.5K
$24K MX$453.6K
32.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartagena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 €125
$84.2 MX$1,592
71.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.22 €11.42
$22.14 MX$419
-40.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.79 €26.58
$30.14 MX$570
2.16%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cartagena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.74 €33.45
$52 MX$983
-25.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.24 €13.16
$18.72 MX$354
-18.59%
Cinema Ticket
$7.99 €6.9
$5.07 MX$95.9
57.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cartagena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$418 €361
$200 MX$3,787
108.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,751 €2,375
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-48.42%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cartagena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 €39.35
$35.74 MX$676
27.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.42 €27.12
$39.8 MX$753
-21.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$44.73 €38.62
$79 MX$1,493
-43.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.7 €65.3
$88.4 MX$1,671
-14.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cartagena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$785 €677
$965 MX$18.3K
-18.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$623 €538
$474 MX$8,968
31.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$924 €798
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-44.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$775 €670
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-35.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,844 €1,592
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-40.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,500 €1,295
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-80.07%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Cartagena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,845 €1,593
$792 MX$15K
133.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.44
11.42
-69.88%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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