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

😐 Solo nomad: Cartago is 35.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cartago is 2.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 ₡3,840

$11.85 MX$211

-31.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.23 ₡15.3K

$42.16 MX$750

-23.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 ₡4,311

$10.75 MX$191

-15.26%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,806

$3.47 MX$61.8

10.09%

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

$2.03 ₡962

$1.45 MX$25.85

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 ₡585

$0.90 MX$16.06

37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 ₡947

$3.05 MX$54.3

-34.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 ₡2,170

$4.42 MX$78.6

3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡975

$1.37 MX$24.36

50.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ₡1,017

$1.87 MX$33.31

14.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,067

$1.54 MX$27.46

46.10%

Eggs

$2.94 ₡1,392

$2.50 MX$44.53

17.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 ₡3,854

$8.61 MX$153

-5.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 ₡4,248

$8.63 MX$154

4.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 ₡6,375

$11.02 MX$196

22.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 ₡2,092

$2.75 MX$48.91

60.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ₡573

$1.43 MX$25.41

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 ₡1,932

$1.87 MX$33.32

118.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 ₡1,236

$2.17 MX$38.56

20.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ₡916

$1.88 MX$33.50

3.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 ₡923

$2.25 MX$39.96

-13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 ₡454

$1.07 MX$18.99

-10.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₡959

$1.07 MX$19.10

89.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 ₡2,559

$4.15 MX$73.9

30.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 ₡7,049

$10.34 MX$184

44.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₡1,174

$1.68 MX$29.87

47.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₡853

$2.48 MX$44.19

-27.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 ₡497

$0.55 MX$9.87

90.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.6 ₡32.9K

$26.53 MX$472

162.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ₡650

$3.22 MX$57.2

-57.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 ₡850

$2.48 MX$44.15

-27.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.06 ₡3,816

$3.11 MX$55.3

159.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₡696

$1.26 MX$22.34

16.67%

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

$38.2K ₡18.1M

$30.7K MX$545.4K

24.54%

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

$32.4K ₡15.3M

$24.0K MX$427.6K

34.60%

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

$49.17 ₡23.3K

$82.5 MX$1,467

-40.39%

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

$26.22 ₡12.4K

$22.29 MX$396

17.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.7 ₡27.3K

$30.02 MX$534

92.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 ₡26.9K

$51.4 MX$915

10.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.07 ₡11.4K

$18.29 MX$325

31.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 ₡3,113

$4.98 MX$88.7

32.13%

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

$488 ₡230.9K

$200 MX$3,558

143.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,079 ₡3.3M

$5,304 MX$94.4K

33.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ₡29.3K

$35.71 MX$635

73.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 ₡24.6K

$39.56 MX$704

31.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₡51.2K

$80.6 MX$1,433

34.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 ₡37.2K

$88.3 MX$1,571

-11.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₡361.0K

$969 MX$17.2K

-21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₡278.9K

$482 MX$8,579

22.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 ₡344.5K

$1,595 MX$28.4K

-54.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 ₡367.0K

$1,184 MX$21.1K

-34.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$72.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$116.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,269 ₡600.6K

$756 MX$13.5K

67.81%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 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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