Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,300 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cartagena outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
59

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

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,300

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,300 per month in Cartagena vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cartagena $1,300
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,181 per month in Cartagena vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cartagena $2,181
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,062 per month in Cartagena vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cartagena $3,062
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Cartagena costs about 8% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cartagena and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Cartagena 4% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$10.86 MX$201

-45.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 COP 456.2K

$44.21 MX$817

225.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 COP 32.7K

$11.76 MX$217

-12.33%

Cappuccino

$4.31 COP 13.7K

$3.68 MX$68.0

17.12%

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

$2.53 COP 8,026

$1.34 MX$24.79

88.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 COP 7,459

$0.82 MX$15.24

186.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 COP 10.7K

$3.06 MX$56.6

9.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 COP 15.5K

$4.94 MX$91.2

-1.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 COP 5,932

$1.47 MX$27.17

27.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 COP 8,923

$2.22 MX$40.95

26.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,516

$1.48 MX$27.32

-4.05%

Eggs

$4.93 COP 15.6K

$2.49 MX$45.99

97.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$7.52 MX$139

77.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.91 COP 56.8K

$7.96 MX$147

125.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 COP 6,568

$1.20 MX$22.18

72.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

Wine (Bottle)

$14.58 COP 46.2K

$10.02 MX$185

45.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 COP 4,580

$1.54 MX$28.41

-6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,821

$0.53 MX$9.73

128.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.8 COP 186.3K

$27.51 MX$508

113.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 COP 14.9K

$4.90 MX$90.6

-4.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.72 COP 11.8K

$3.43 MX$63.5

8.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.34 COP 29.6K

$5.38 MX$99.4

73.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 COP 4,142

$1.45 MX$26.76

-9.66%

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

$34.7K COP 110.2M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

64.20%

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

$34.9K COP 110.7M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

51.70%

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

$77.8 COP 246.5K

$85.4 MX$1,577

-8.92%

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

$23.46 MX$434

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 COP 284.2K

$62.2 MX$1,149

44.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 COP 26.7K

$5.10 MX$94.3

65.29%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$201 MX$3,715

213.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,782 COP 18.3M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

46.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 COP 3.3M

$979 MX$18.1K

7.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 COP 1.9M

$373 MX$6,887

58.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,333 COP 7.4M

$1,681 MX$31.1K

38.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 COP 3.0M

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-12.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$944 COP 3.0M

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-84.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$477 COP 1.5M

$738 MX$13.6K

-35.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

31.00%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$590 45.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 36.8% $217

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$263 * 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 1.8% $4.8

Eating Out

Cartagena

$176 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 13.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$107 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 32% $34

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 40.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 76.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Cartagena versus $979 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 55% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Cartagena versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

Same time as Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

149,923

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Cartagena Playa del Carmen 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
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

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

Cartagena costs about 8% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,950 per month in Cartagena and $1,806 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 $630 per month in Cartagena and $201 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 2% more in Cartagena, 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 $1,204, than in Cartagena at $1,300. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartagena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,300 in Cartagena. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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