Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chihuahua and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Chihuahua and in Playa del Carmen: $1,231 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
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Chihuahua Living Index
59

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

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Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,231

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,231 per month in Chihuahua vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chihuahua $1,231
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,836 per month in Chihuahua vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chihuahua $1,836
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,440 per month in Chihuahua vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chihuahua $2,440
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Chihuahua costs about 2% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chihuahua and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Chihuahua 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.04 MX$204

$10.76 MX$199

2.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.07 MX$611

$43.03 MX$795

-23.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 MX$200

$11.79 MX$218

-8.40%

Cappuccino

$2.45 MX$45.27

$3.87 MX$71.4

-36.69%

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

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.37 MX$25.29

-8.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 MX$13.74

$0.84 MX$15.44

-11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MX$42.97

$3.10 MX$57.3

-24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MX$73.8

$5.07 MX$93.6

-21.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MX$29.74

$1.44 MX$26.55

11.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 MX$58.9

$2.23 MX$41.23

43.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.55

$1.47 MX$27.17

42.18%

Eggs

$2.66 MX$49.21

$2.53 MX$46.71

5.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.30 MX$172

$7.30 MX$135

27.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.77 MX$125

$7.86 MX$145

-13.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$236

$12.79 MX$236

0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 MX$46.40

$2.90 MX$53.6

-13.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.65

$1.44 MX$26.53

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.33

$2.55 MX$47.07

-18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.7

$2.06 MX$38.03

33.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 MX$44.11

$2.00 MX$36.97

19.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.46

$2.01 MX$37.07

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 MX$25.97

$1.19 MX$22.02

18.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.51

$1.26 MX$23.23

-7.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$79.1

$4.40 MX$81.4

-2.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 MX$195

$9.59 MX$177

10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 MX$28.20

$1.59 MX$29.41

-3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$52.9

$2.81 MX$51.9

1.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.94

$0.57 MX$10.47

-5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.08 MX$611

$27.82 MX$514

18.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 MX$49.83

$4.98 MX$92.1

-45.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 MX$14.64

$3.50 MX$64.6

-77.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 MX$185

$5.40 MX$99.8

85.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.17

$1.47 MX$27.08

-3.40%

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

$21.1K MX$389.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

0.34%

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

$24.6K MX$454.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

2.92%

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

$82.2 MX$1,520

$84.2 MX$1,556

-2.34%

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

$21.30 MX$394

$23.99 MX$443

-11.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.93 MX$442

$29.02 MX$536

-17.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.58 MX$528

$63.0 MX$1,164

-54.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.74 MX$309

$29.14 MX$539

-42.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 MX$89.0

$4.94 MX$91.3

-2.43%

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

$263 MX$4,858

$204 MX$3,763

29.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,362 MX$62.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-14.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 MX$926

$43.60 MX$806

14.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.18 MX$447

$43.12 MX$797

-43.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,858

$75.8 MX$1,400

32.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 MX$1,636

$88.6 MX$1,637

-0.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 MX$11.1K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-40.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 MX$8,315

$374 MX$6,911

20.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 MX$20.2K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-36.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$687 MX$12.7K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-37.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,415 MX$63.1K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-13.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 MX$21.0K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-81.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$844 MX$15.6K

$754 MX$13.9K

11.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.84

11.45

-5.33%

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

Last update for Chihuahua: October 13, 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

Chihuahua

$450 36.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 16.9% $76

Groceries & Markets

Chihuahua

$278 22.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 6.9% $19

Eating Out

Chihuahua

$178 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 13.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chihuahua

$127 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 7.6% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chihuahua

$119 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 4.7% $5.5

Getting Around

Chihuahua

$42 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 25.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chihuahua

$38 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 90.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $602 in Chihuahua versus $1,008 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 12% higher in Chihuahua, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Chihuahua versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $278 in Chihuahua vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

04:29 4:29 AM

1 h ahead of Chihuahua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

925,762

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chihuahua Playa del Carmen 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chihuahua
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

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

Chihuahua costs about 2% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Chihuahua and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Chihuahua and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Chihuahua, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Chihuahua at $1,231. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chihuahua it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,231 in Chihuahua. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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