Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaguanas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,287 in Chaguanas, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Chaguanas
Learn more

Chaguanas Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chaguanas

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,287

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Chaguanas versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Chaguanas $1,287
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Chaguanas versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Chaguanas $2,082
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Chaguanas versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Chaguanas $2,876
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Chaguanas is roughly 6% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chaguanas 5% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.39 TTD 69.9

$10.76 MX$199

-3.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 TTD 403

$43.03 MX$795

39.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 TTD 55.0

$11.79 MX$218

-30.62%

Cappuccino

$3.32 TTD 22.32

$3.87 MX$71.4

-14.21%

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

$1.26 TTD 8.44

$1.37 MX$25.29

-8.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 TTD 6.71

$0.84 MX$15.44

19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 TTD 11.64

$3.10 MX$57.3

-44.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 TTD 17.69

$5.07 MX$93.6

-48.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 TTD 16.07

$1.44 MX$26.55

65.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 TTD 14.36

$2.23 MX$41.23

-4.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 TTD 14.61

$1.47 MX$27.17

47.62%

Eggs

$3.87 TTD 26.01

$2.53 MX$46.71

52.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 TTD 49.31

$7.30 MX$135

0.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 TTD 54.0

$7.86 MX$145

2.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 TTD 79.4

$12.79 MX$236

-7.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 TTD 19.98

$2.90 MX$53.6

2.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 TTD 20.23

$1.44 MX$26.53

109.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 TTD 19.22

$2.55 MX$47.07

12.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 TTD 33.68

$2.06 MX$38.03

143.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 TTD 16.59

$2.00 MX$36.97

23.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 TTD 14.55

$2.01 MX$37.07

7.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 TTD 13.37

$1.19 MX$22.02

67.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 TTD 8.68

$1.26 MX$23.23

2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 TTD 19.41

$4.40 MX$81.4

-34.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 TTD 134

$9.59 MX$177

107.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 TTD 12.87

$1.59 MX$29.41

20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 TTD 17.19

$2.81 MX$51.9

-8.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 TTD 5.10

$0.57 MX$10.47

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 TTD 14.87

$4.98 MX$92.1

-55.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 TTD 8.95

$3.50 MX$64.6

-62.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.46 TTD 97.3

$5.40 MX$99.8

167.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 TTD 7.52

$1.47 MX$27.08

-23.81%

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

$33.1K TTD 223.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

57.94%

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

$33.6K TTD 226.2K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

40.66%

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

$103 TTD 691

$84.2 MX$1,556

21.99%

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

$38.71 TTD 260

$23.99 MX$443

61.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 TTD 345

$29.02 MX$536

76.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 TTD 345

$63.0 MX$1,164

-18.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.48 TTD 299

$29.14 MX$539

52.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 TTD 57.7

$4.94 MX$91.3

73.68%

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

$304 TTD 2,042

$204 MX$3,763

49.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.03 TTD 303

$43.60 MX$806

3.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.30 TTD 285

$43.12 MX$797

-1.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 TTD 664

$75.8 MX$1,400

30.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 TTD 716

$88.6 MX$1,637

20.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 TTD 3,112

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-54.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 TTD 2,597

$374 MX$6,911

3.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 TTD 6,376

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-44.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 TTD 5,106

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-31.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 TTD 5,203

$754 MX$13.9K

2.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-56.33%

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

Last update for Chaguanas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaguanas

$386 30%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 3.1% $12

Groceries & Markets

Chaguanas

$326 25.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 20.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaguanas

$193 15%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 28.8% $56

Eating Out

Chaguanas

$170 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 18.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chaguanas

$132 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 14.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Chaguanas

$68 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 6.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Chaguanas

$12 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 342% $41

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 $463 in Chaguanas and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chaguanas pays 3% 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: $60.0 in Chaguanas vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Chaguanas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

1 h behind Chaguanas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,489

149,923

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chaguanas Playa del Carmen 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chaguanas
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Chaguanas. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Chaguanas, 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: $463 in Chaguanas versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Chaguanas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,287 per month in Chaguanas versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,287 in Chaguanas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Chaguanas. 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 $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chaguanas and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Chaguanas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.