Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,281 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cartago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
59

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

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Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,281 per month in Cartago vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cartago $1,281
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,972 per month in Cartago vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cartago $1,972
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,663 per month in Cartago vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cartago $2,663
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Cartago costs about 6% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cartago and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Cartago 5% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 COP 24.0K

$10.76 MX$199

-29.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 COP 118.0K

$43.03 MX$795

-13.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$11.79 MX$218

-28.16%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,868

$3.87 MX$71.4

-60.21%

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

$1.28 COP 4,050

$1.37 MX$25.29

-6.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 COP 2,626

$0.84 MX$15.44

-1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 COP 9,838

$3.10 MX$57.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 COP 11.6K

$5.07 MX$93.6

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,072

$1.44 MX$26.55

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 COP 5,954

$2.23 MX$41.23

-15.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,737

$1.47 MX$27.17

1.36%

Eggs

$2.93 COP 9,305

$2.53 MX$46.71

15.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 COP 20.9K

$7.30 MX$135

-9.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 COP 22.5K

$7.86 MX$145

-9.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 COP 31.5K

$12.79 MX$236

-22.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 COP 11.3K

$2.90 MX$53.6

23.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,187

$1.44 MX$26.53

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,513

$2.55 MX$47.07

-31.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,168

$2.06 MX$38.03

-20.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,508

$2.00 MX$36.97

-29.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,743

$2.01 MX$37.07

-25.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 COP 3,432

$1.19 MX$22.02

-9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 COP 3,250

$1.26 MX$23.23

-18.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 COP 11.7K

$4.40 MX$81.4

-16.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 COP 41.6K

$9.59 MX$177

36.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,741

$1.59 MX$29.41

-5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 COP 7,770

$2.81 MX$51.9

-12.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 COP 3,234

$0.57 MX$10.47

78.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 COP 2,516

$4.98 MX$92.1

-84.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,207

$3.50 MX$64.6

-35.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 COP 26.6K

$5.40 MX$99.8

55.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,198

$1.47 MX$27.08

-10.20%

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

$28.0K COP 88.9M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

33.56%

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

$34.6K COP 109.9M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

44.92%

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

$110 COP 348.3K

$84.2 MX$1,556

30.44%

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

$13.23 COP 42.0K

$23.99 MX$443

-44.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 COP 95.9K

$29.02 MX$536

4.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 COP 134.2K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-32.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.1K

$4.94 MX$91.3

66.80%

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

$701 COP 2.2M

$204 MX$3,763

244.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,430 COP 20.4M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

63.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 COP 246.6K

$43.60 MX$806

78.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 COP 174.8K

$43.12 MX$797

27.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 COP 401.8K

$75.8 MX$1,400

67.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 COP 350.6K

$88.6 MX$1,637

24.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 COP 2.0M

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-36.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 COP 1.6M

$374 MX$6,911

36.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 COP 3.3M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-39.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 COP 3.1M

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-12.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 COP 6.3M

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-49.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,803 COP 5.7M

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-70.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

11.45

1.14%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 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

Cartago

$509 39.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 26.5% $135

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$241 18.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 7.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$167 13%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 32.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$153 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 10.5% $16

Eating Out

Cartago

$136 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 49% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$59 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 23.9% $14

Getting Around

Cartago

$16 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 224% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Cartago 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Cartago versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $258 – making Cartago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartago

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

Same time as Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,365

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cartago Playa del Carmen 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
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

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

Yes – Cartago is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,921 per month in Cartago 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,281 in Cartago and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $701 per month in Cartago and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Cartago at $1,281. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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