Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiclayo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiclayo: $998 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Chiclayo
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Chiclayo Living Index
58

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

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Chiclayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$998

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $998 per month in Chiclayo vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chiclayo $998
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,584 per month in Chiclayo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chiclayo $1,584
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,170 per month in Chiclayo vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chiclayo $2,170
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Chiclayo is about 17% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiclayo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Chiclayo 27% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.15 PEN 17.84

$10.92 MX$205

-52.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.69 PEN 120

$43.37 MX$814

-20.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 PEN 30.33

$11.78 MX$221

-25.72%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PEN 14.67

$3.81 MX$71.5

11.02%

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

$0.91 PEN 3.15

$1.28 MX$24.07

-28.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$0.78 MX$14.70

-41.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 PEN 29.27

$3.17 MX$59.5

166.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 PEN 7.78

$1.41 MX$26.40

59.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 PEN 7.90

$2.22 MX$41.62

2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 PEN 7.59

$1.42 MX$26.61

54.23%

Eggs

$2.38 PEN 8.27

$2.52 MX$47.36

-5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.53 PEN 22.62

$7.26 MX$136

-10.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.10 PEN 21.15

$7.70 MX$144

-20.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.88 PEN 34.26

$12.69 MX$238

-22.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 PEN 8.48

$2.78 MX$52.3

-11.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 PEN 6.62

$1.37 MX$25.68

39.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 PEN 8.55

$2.55 MX$47.89

-3.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 PEN 6.24

$2.12 MX$39.86

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 PEN 4.04

$1.94 MX$36.39

-39.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 PEN 7.74

$1.89 MX$35.41

17.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 PEN 2.25

$1.15 MX$21.53

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.17

$1.18 MX$22.13

-22.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 PEN 18.14

$4.30 MX$80.6

21.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 PEN 42.10

$9.95 MX$187

22.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 PEN 5.18

$1.58 MX$29.73

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 PEN 6.21

$2.67 MX$50.1

-32.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 PEN 2.69

$0.55 MX$10.39

41.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 PEN 102

$26.62 MX$500

10.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 PEN 11.08

$4.97 MX$93.3

-35.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 PEN 10.14

$3.33 MX$62.5

-12.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.29 PEN 21.79

$5.36 MX$101

17.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 PEN 4.54

$1.44 MX$27.11

-9.03%

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

$24.3K PEN 84.3K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

17.65%

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

$24.5K PEN 85.0K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

4.48%

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

$48.50 PEN 168

$84.8 MX$1,592

-42.80%

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

$26.67 PEN 92.5

$23.41 MX$439

13.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.71 PEN 110

$28.66 MX$538

10.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 PEN 213

$57.1 MX$1,071

7.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.15 PEN 87.2

$28.91 MX$543

-13.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 PEN 27.12

$5.14 MX$96.5

52.14%

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

$248 PEN 858

$207 MX$3,878

19.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,008 PEN 13.9K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

2.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 PEN 174

$43.35 MX$814

15.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.7 PEN 207

$41.44 MX$778

44.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$198 PEN 688

$74.2 MX$1,393

167.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 PEN 510

$89.3 MX$1,676

64.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 PEN 828

$980 MX$18.4K

-75.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 PEN 519

$381 MX$7,150

-60.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 PEN 1,548

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-73.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 PEN 880

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-76.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,106 PEN 3,834

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-71.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 PEN 3,720

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-82.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$504 PEN 1,749

$735 MX$13.8K

-31.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-3.93%

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

Last update for Chiclayo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiclayo

$243 24.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiclayo

$205 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 45.5% $93

Eating Out

Chiclayo

$166 * 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 22% $36

Accommodation & Living

Chiclayo

$150 15%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 155% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiclayo

$107 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 28% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiclayo

$77 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12.7% $9.8

Getting Around

Chiclayo

$50 5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 0.3% $0.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Chiclayo versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Chiclayo versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $255 – making Chiclayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Chiclayo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

Same time as Chiclayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,325

149,923

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.47 PEN (1 PEN = 0.289 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 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 PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiclayo Playa del Carmen 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiclayo
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $998 in Chiclayo, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Chiclayo comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,496 per month in Chiclayo and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiclayo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Chiclayo and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $998 in Chiclayo and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Chiclayo about 17% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chiclayo, where all-in costs run around $998, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Chiclayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $998 in Chiclayo to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiclayo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.