Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chimaltenango and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $750 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$750

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $750 per month in Chimaltenango vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chimaltenango $750
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,252 per month in Chimaltenango vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,252
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,753 per month in Chimaltenango vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,753
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Chimaltenango is about 38% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chimaltenango and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Chimaltenango 45% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.93 Q 52.9

$10.92 MX$205

-36.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.84 Q 381

$43.37 MX$815

14.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 Q 60.1

$11.78 MX$221

-33.28%

Cappuccino

$3.30 Q 25.23

$3.81 MX$71.6

-13.39%

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

$1.11 Q 8.49

$1.28 MX$24.10

-13.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 Q 7.01

$0.78 MX$14.71

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 Q 25.52

$3.17 MX$59.5

5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 Q 35.56

$4.93 MX$92.7

-5.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 Q 15.20

$1.41 MX$26.43

41.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 Q 23.75

$2.22 MX$41.66

40.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 Q 15.66

$1.42 MX$26.64

44.37%

Eggs

$2.41 Q 18.45

$2.52 MX$47.41

-4.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 Q 47.63

$7.26 MX$137

-14.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 Q 74.0

$7.70 MX$145

25.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 Q 102

$12.69 MX$239

5.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 Q 30.23

$2.78 MX$52.3

42.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 Q 13.22

$1.37 MX$25.71

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 Q 22.21

$2.55 MX$47.94

14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.52

$2.12 MX$39.90

-22.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 Q 11.41

$1.94 MX$36.43

-23.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 Q 16.01

$1.89 MX$35.44

10.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 Q 5.32

$1.15 MX$21.55

-39.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.12

$1.18 MX$22.16

0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 Q 31.76

$4.30 MX$80.7

-3.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 Q 62.9

$9.95 MX$187

-17.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Q 13.36

$1.58 MX$29.76

10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 Q 19.76

$2.67 MX$50.2

-3.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 Q 40.62

$4.97 MX$93.4

7.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.37 Q 79.2

$5.36 MX$101

93.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 Q 10.10

$1.44 MX$27.14

-8.33%

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

$27.3K Q 208.7K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

32.19%

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

$25.3K Q 193.1K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

7.71%

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

$72.4 Q 554

$84.8 MX$1,594

-14.57%

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

$28.72 Q 219

$23.41 MX$440

22.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.00 Q 351

$28.66 MX$539

60.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 Q 51.0

$5.14 MX$96.6

29.77%

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

$333 Q 2,548

$207 MX$3,882

61.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,742 Q 51.5K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

71.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 Q 384

$43.35 MX$815

15.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 Q 363

$41.44 MX$779

14.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 Q 916

$74.2 MX$1,394

61.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Q 874

$89.3 MX$1,677

28.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.45

1.48%

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

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 27, 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

Chimaltenango

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Chimaltenango

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Chimaltenango

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chimaltenango

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Chimaltenango

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Chimaltenango

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Chimaltenango

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Chimaltenango versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $282 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

1 h ahead of Chimaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,900

149,923

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chimaltenango Playa del Carmen 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chimaltenango
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 61% more than Chimaltenango, 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 $1,125 per month in Chimaltenango and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Chimaltenango and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $750 in Chimaltenango to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.