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

🙂 Solo nomad: Cartagena is 28.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 13.6% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cartagena is 7.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 29.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 COP 22.0K

$11.88 MX$210

-49.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 COP 171.3K

$41.90 MX$740

11.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 COP 35.9K

$10.55 MX$186

-7.39%

Cappuccino

$1.58 COP 5,796

$3.60 MX$63.5

-56.11%

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

$0.86 COP 3,172

$1.50 MX$26.45

-42.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 COP 2,658

$0.91 MX$16.09

-20.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 COP 4,562

$3.08 MX$54.4

-59.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 COP 10.5K

$4.47 MX$78.8

-36.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 COP 4,175

$1.39 MX$24.54

-17.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 COP 6,775

$1.90 MX$33.47

-2.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,842

$1.60 MX$28.27

-17.50%

Eggs

$2.12 COP 7,785

$2.60 MX$45.97

-18.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.07 COP 26.0K

$8.36 MX$148

-15.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 COP 22.4K

$8.64 MX$152

-29.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.90 COP 29.0K

$10.91 MX$192

-27.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 COP 11.6K

$2.61 MX$45.98

20.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 COP 7,328

$1.44 MX$25.46

38.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 COP 5,297

$1.96 MX$34.55

-26.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,863

$2.12 MX$37.34

-24.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 COP 5,625

$1.86 MX$32.87

-17.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 COP 3,884

$2.22 MX$39.20

-52.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 COP 3,872

$1.02 MX$17.99

2.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 COP 2,194

$1.04 MX$18.36

-42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 COP 8,214

$4.05 MX$71.5

-44.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.08 COP 88.4K

$10.18 MX$180

136.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 COP 3,443

$1.69 MX$29.79

-44.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,731

$2.62 MX$46.25

-61.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 COP 3,908

$0.51 MX$9.09

107.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.72 COP 105.4K

$26.52 MX$468

8.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 COP 9,145

$3.15 MX$55.7

-20.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 COP 8,623

$2.46 MX$43.49

-4.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 COP 18.0K

$3.26 MX$57.5

50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 COP 3,789

$1.32 MX$23.36

-21.97%

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

$21.6K COP 79.3M

$30.1K MX$531.0K

-28.25%

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

$23.3K COP 85.5M

$23.8K MX$419.3K

-1.98%

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

$144 COP 527.3K

$83.5 MX$1,474

71.91%

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

$10.78 COP 39.6K

$22.86 MX$404

-52.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.52 COP 90.0K

$30.04 MX$530

-18.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.66 COP 127.3K

$51.9 MX$916

-33.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.77 COP 32.2K

$18.30 MX$323

-52.08%

Cinema Ticket

$2.96 COP 10.9K

$5.12 MX$90.4

-42.19%

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

$143 COP 523.5K

$201 MX$3,541

-28.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,863 COP 21.5M

$5,318 MX$93.9K

10.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.68 COP 175.1K

$35.73 MX$631

33.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.05 COP 143.4K

$40.27 MX$711

-3.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 COP 453.5K

$79.2 MX$1,398

55.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 COP 413.2K

$89.3 MX$1,576

26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 COP 2.6M

$947 MX$16.7K

-24.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 COP 1.2M

$483 MX$8,525

-31.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 COP 4.7M

$1,599 MX$28.2K

-20.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 COP 1.7M

$1,211 MX$21.4K

-61.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,007 COP 11.0M

$3,996 MX$70.5K

-24.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 COP 7.0M

$6,402 MX$113.0K

-70.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$423 COP 1.6M

$730 MX$12.9K

-42.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

31.35%

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

Last update for Cartagena: January 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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