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

😐 Solo nomad: Cartago is 7.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 21% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cartago is 26.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 11.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8 ₡4,006

$11.99 MX$227

-33.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 ₡16K

$42.47 MX$803

-24.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 ₡4,540

$10.47 MX$198

-13.37%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ₡1,929

$3.6 MX$68.2

6.94%

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

$2.04 ₡1,020

$1.44 MX$27.16

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₡613

$0.89 MX$16.79

37.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₡1,021

$3.09 MX$58.5

-33.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 ₡2,345

$4.58 MX$86.6

2.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡989

$1.38 MX$26.04

43.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.2 ₡1,103

$1.85 MX$34.9

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.2 ₡1,103

$1.57 MX$29.68

40.13%

Eggs

$2.87 ₡1,439

$2.55 MX$48.3

12.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 ₡4,037

$8.61 MX$163

-6.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.9 ₡4,456

$8.54 MX$161

4.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.87 ₡6,946

$10.98 MX$208

26.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.4 ₡2,205

$2.72 MX$51.4

61.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ₡585

$1.51 MX$28.57

-22.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,970

$1.88 MX$35.63

109.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.7 ₡1,352

$2.19 MX$41.42

23.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 ₡989

$1.87 MX$35.3

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ₡968

$2.19 MX$41.37

-11.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 ₡486

$1.07 MX$20.23

-9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₡1,017

$1.09 MX$20.64

86.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 ₡2,688

$3.96 MX$74.9

35.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 ₡6,901

$8.86 MX$167

55.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.4 ₡1,203

$1.72 MX$32.53

39.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₡878

$2.61 MX$49.37

-32.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₡531

$0.52 MX$9.74

103.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69 ₡34.5K

$26.59 MX$503

159.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₡677

$3.24 MX$61.2

-58.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 ₡886

$2.38 MX$44.94

-25.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.7 ₡3,855

$3.11 MX$58.7

147.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₡695

$1.31 MX$24.85

6.11%

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

$37.2K ₡18.6M

$30.3K MX$573K

22.79%

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

$33.1K ₡16.6M

$24K MX$453.6K

38.09%

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

$48.99 ₡24.5K

$84.2 MX$1,592

-41.84%

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

$25.87 ₡12.9K

$22.14 MX$419

16.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 ₡28.2K

$30.14 MX$570

86.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₡28.9K

$52 MX$983

11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.16 ₡12.1K

$18.72 MX$354

29.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.38 ₡3,192

$5.07 MX$95.9

25.84%

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

$490 ₡245.4K

$200 MX$3,787

144.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,079 ₡3.5M

$5,333 MX$100.8K

32.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ₡30.9K

$35.74 MX$676

72.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 ₡26.1K

$39.8 MX$753

31.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₡54K

$79 MX$1,493

36.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 ₡39.8K

$88.4 MX$1,671

-10.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 ₡388.3K

$965 MX$18.3K

-19.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 ₡303.4K

$474 MX$8,968

27.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₡367.6K

$1,653 MX$31.2K

-55.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 ₡377.1K

$1,202 MX$22.7K

-37.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,081 MX$58.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,529 MX$142.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,613 ₡807.4K

$792 MX$15K

103.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

-12.43%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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