Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cayey and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,156 in Cayey, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Cayey
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Cayey Living Index
57

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

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Cayey

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,156

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,156 in Cayey versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Cayey $2,156
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,430 in Cayey versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cayey $3,430
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,704 in Cayey versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Cayey $4,704
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Cayey is roughly 79% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cayey is 59% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.05 $19.05

$10.67 MX$199

78.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.6 $83.6

$43.80 MX$815

90.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 $9.04

$11.79 MX$219

-23.32%

Cappuccino

$3.52 $3.52

$3.79 MX$70.5

-7.12%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$1.30 MX$24.14

40.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.83 MX$15.51

79.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.15 MX$58.6

-5.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.93 MX$91.8

3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.41 MX$26.22

55.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.20 MX$40.86

64.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.47 MX$27.40

59.86%

Eggs

$7.33 $7.33

$2.50 MX$46.47

193.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$7.29 MX$136

71.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 $9.59

$7.95 MX$148

20.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 $13.27

$12.86 MX$239

3.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.90 MX$53.9

75.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.38 MX$25.74

92.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.49 MX$46.36

92.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.03 MX$37.78

140.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.02 MX$37.69

84.65%

Onion (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.90 MX$35.42

112.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.14 MX$21.30

195.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.24 MX$23.06

26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.22 $12.22

$4.27 MX$79.5

186.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 $15.40

$9.81 MX$183

56.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.59 MX$29.51

96.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.75 MX$51.1

44.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$4.76 MX$88.6

-46.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.25 MX$60.5

-53.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.65 $41.65

$5.39 MX$100

672.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.53 MX$28.44

-33.33%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

64.89%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

18.57%

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

$318 $318

$83.5 MX$1,554

281.15%

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

$70.5 $70.5

$23.19 MX$431

203.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$27.61 MX$514

152.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.63 $40.63

$56.4 MX$1,050

-28.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 $10.09

$5.00 MX$93.1

101.80%

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

$812 $812

$207 MX$3,854

291.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

139.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 $57.0

$43.45 MX$809

31.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.8 $60.8

$42.54 MX$792

42.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$72.8 MX$1,354

48.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$88.4 MX$1,645

28.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 $1,215

$995 MX$18.5K

22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$801 $801

$382 MX$7,116

109.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 $2,414

$1,674 MX$31.2K

44.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 $1,784

$1,081 MX$20.1K

65.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,643 $3,643

$832 MX$15.5K

337.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Cayey: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cayey

$801 37.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 52.3% $419

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayey

$458 21.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 70.7% $324

Groceries & Markets

Cayey

$413 19.2%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 37.7% $155

Eating Out

Cayey

$260 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 23% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Cayey

$153 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 27.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cayey

$61 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 9.2% $5.6

Getting Around

Cayey

$10 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 398% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,215 in Cayey and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cayey pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Cayey vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Cayey

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

08:39 8:39 AM

1 h behind Cayey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,999

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cayey Playa del Carmen 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cayey
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,156 in Cayey and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Cayey is about 4.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,215 in Cayey versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $812 in Cayey versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $84 in Cayey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,156 in Cayey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cayey. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Cayey on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.