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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,752 in Cento versus $1,297 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,714 in Cento versus $2,181 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,676 in Cento versus $3,065 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Cento is roughly 35% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cento is 31% above, Playa del Carmen is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.74 €17.86

$11.73 MX$203

76.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 €70.3

$41.62 MX$719

96.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 €9.49

$10.64 MX$184

3.67%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.80

$3.52 MX$60.8

-40.63%

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

$2.76 €2.38

$1.51 MX$26.09

82.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.22

$0.97 MX$16.82

46.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 €5.04

$2.95 MX$51.0

98.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €4.90

$4.45 MX$77.0

27.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.37

$1.38 MX$23.90

15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 €2.19

$1.89 MX$32.69

34.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.40

$1.64 MX$28.29

69.51%

Eggs

$4.40 €3.78

$2.51 MX$43.30

75.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.21 €18.26

$8.34 MX$144

154.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.37 €11.51

$8.34 MX$144

60.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.65 €15.20

$10.73 MX$185

64.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 €2.01

$2.60 MX$45.00

-10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.84

$1.46 MX$25.18

46.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.74

$1.90 MX$32.84

6.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 €2.60

$2.08 MX$35.88

45.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.40

$1.78 MX$30.68

-8.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 €1.22

$2.19 MX$37.76

-35.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.48

$1.04 MX$17.97

65.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.46

$1.08 MX$18.60

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 €6.03

$4.08 MX$70.5

71.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 €7.14

$10.32 MX$178

-19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.44

$1.71 MX$29.59

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.63

$2.58 MX$44.50

-26.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.52

$0.51 MX$8.81

245.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.14 €37.14

$26.46 MX$457

63.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.88 €5.06

$3.26 MX$56.4

80.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 €1.26

$2.49 MX$43.05

-41.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.81 €24.81

$3.25 MX$56.1

786.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.74

$1.31 MX$22.59

54.20%

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

$26.0K €22.4K

$30.3K MX$523.2K

-14.02%

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

$34.4K €29.6K

$23.4K MX$404.9K

46.81%

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

$183 €157

$82.9 MX$1,432

120.59%

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

$11.55 €9.95

$22.22 MX$384

-48.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.69 €26.42

$29.34 MX$507

4.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 €46.70

$51.6 MX$892

5.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.77 €19.60

$18.32 MX$317

24.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.93 €9.41

$5.07 MX$87.5

115.58%

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

$654 €563

$201 MX$3,470

225.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,089 €6,964

$5,212 MX$90.1K

55.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 €78.2

$36.92 MX$638

146.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 €37.56

$39.79 MX$688

9.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 €85.1

$78.5 MX$1,356

26.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €146

$87.1 MX$1,505

95.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 €657

$973 MX$16.8K

-21.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 €490

$468 MX$8,082

21.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 €1,033

$1,641 MX$28.4K

-26.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$910 €784

$1,221 MX$21.1K

-25.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,807 €2,416

$3,946 MX$68.2K

-28.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,891 €1,628

$6,498 MX$112.3K

-70.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,849 €1,592

$664 MX$11.5K

178.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

11.42

-63.49%

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

Last update for Cento: May 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $764 in Cento and $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays 179% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $82.0 in Cento vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $249 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Cento. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Cento pays 179% more on average, 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: $764 in Cento versus $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 63% less than in Cento. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $654 in Cento versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,297 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,752 in Cento, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cento. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,297 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Cento. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.