Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cayo Coco and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Cayo Coco and in Playa del Carmen: $1,224 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Cayo Coco
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Cayo Coco Living Index
58

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

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Cayo Coco

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,224

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,224 in Cayo Coco versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cayo Coco $1,224
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,689 in Cayo Coco versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cayo Coco $1,689
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,155 in Cayo Coco versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cayo Coco $2,155
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Monthly costs are close between Cayo Coco and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cayo Coco 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.11 CUP 123

$10.92 MX$205

-53.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.92 CUP 358

$43.37 MX$814

-65.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 CUP 166

$11.78 MX$221

-41.43%

Cappuccino

$0.97 CUP 23.34

$3.81 MX$71.5

-74.54%

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

$2.05 CUP 49.24

$1.28 MX$24.07

60.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 CUP 23.61

$0.78 MX$14.70

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 CUP 46.63

$3.17 MX$59.5

-38.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 CUP 74.0

$4.93 MX$92.7

-37.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 CUP 72.9

$1.41 MX$26.40

115.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 CUP 23.72

$2.22 MX$41.62

-55.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 CUP 47.29

$1.42 MX$26.61

38.73%

Eggs

$3.69 CUP 88.6

$2.52 MX$47.36

46.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 CUP 141

$7.26 MX$136

-19.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.06 CUP 121

$7.70 MX$144

-34.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.80 CUP 235

$12.69 MX$238

-22.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 CUP 122

$2.78 MX$52.3

82.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 CUP 24.25

$1.37 MX$25.68

-26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.48

$2.55 MX$47.89

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 CUP 23.73

$2.12 MX$39.86

-53.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 CUP 23.58

$1.94 MX$36.39

-49.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 CUP 74.2

$1.89 MX$35.41

63.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 CUP 24.30

$1.15 MX$21.53

-12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.64

$1.18 MX$22.13

-16.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 CUP 70.8

$4.30 MX$80.6

-31.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 CUP 241

$9.95 MX$187

0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CUP 46.99

$1.58 MX$29.73

24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 CUP 47.01

$2.67 MX$50.1

-26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.39 CUP 489

$26.62 MX$500

-23.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 CUP 23.33

$4.97 MX$93.3

-80.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 CUP 24.48

$3.33 MX$62.5

-69.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 CUP 485

$5.36 MX$101

276.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 CUP 23.42

$1.44 MX$27.11

-31.94%

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

$71.3K CUP 1.7M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

245.24%

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

$80.8K CUP 1.9M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

244.23%

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

$39.92 CUP 958

$84.8 MX$1,592

-52.92%

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

$40.23 CUP 966

$23.41 MX$439

71.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$221 CUP 5,307

$28.66 MX$538

671.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.44 CUP 971

$57.1 MX$1,071

-29.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.03 CUP 241

$28.91 MX$543

-65.31%

Cinema Ticket

$0.99 CUP 23.71

$5.14 MX$96.5

-80.74%

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

$89.0 CUP 2,136

$207 MX$3,878

-56.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K CUP 362.8K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

284.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.38 CUP 969

$43.35 MX$814

-6.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 CUP 709

$41.44 MX$778

-28.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 CUP 1,773

$74.2 MX$1,393

-0.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 CUP 1,950

$89.3 MX$1,676

-8.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 CUP 9,699

$980 MX$18.4K

-58.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 CUP 10.0K

$381 MX$7,150

9.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 CUP 24.7K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-39.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 CUP 14.9K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-42.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$300 CUP 7,202

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-92.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$354 CUP 8,487

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-94.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$19.60 CUP 471

$735 MX$13.8K

-97.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-12.66%

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

Last update for Cayo Coco: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cayo Coco

$417 34.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 8.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayo Coco

$301 24.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.6% $164

Groceries & Markets

Cayo Coco

$234 19.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 8.7% $20

Eating Out

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 99.8% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Cayo Coco

$42 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 58.7% $25

Getting Around

Cayo Coco

$26 * 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 90.7% $24

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 $404 in Cayo Coco and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 37 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Cayo Coco vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $255 per month, with Cayo Coco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Cayo Coco

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

Same time as Cayo Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.8 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cayo Coco Playa del Carmen 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cayo Coco
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

On paper, salaries run 97% lower in Cayo Coco. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $404 in Cayo Coco versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cayo Coco runs roughly 23% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Cayo Coco pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.