Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiquimula and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiquimula: $819 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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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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Chiquimula

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$819

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $819 per month in Chiquimula vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chiquimula $819
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,359 per month in Chiquimula vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chiquimula $1,359
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Chiquimula vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chiquimula $1,900
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Chiquimula is about 32% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiquimula and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Chiquimula 40% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 Q 69.1

$10.92 MX$205

-17.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.5 Q 393

$43.37 MX$815

18.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 Q 63.8

$11.78 MX$221

-29.12%

Cappuccino

$4.13 Q 31.54

$3.81 MX$71.6

8.40%

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

$2.13 Q 16.25

$1.28 MX$24.10

66.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 Q 11.68

$0.78 MX$14.71

96.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 Q 29.72

$3.17 MX$59.5

22.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 Q 44.59

$4.93 MX$92.7

18.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 Q 15.99

$1.41 MX$26.43

48.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 Q 28.28

$2.22 MX$41.66

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 Q 14.54

$1.42 MX$26.64

33.80%

Eggs

$2.41 Q 18.39

$2.52 MX$47.41

-4.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.30 Q 40.48

$7.26 MX$137

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.00 Q 107

$7.70 MX$145

81.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 Q 78.8

$12.69 MX$239

-18.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 Q 36.54

$2.78 MX$52.3

71.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 Q 17.93

$1.37 MX$25.71

71.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.21 Q 39.82

$2.55 MX$47.94

104.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.62

$2.12 MX$39.90

-22.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 Q 14.09

$1.94 MX$36.43

-5.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 Q 13.29

$1.89 MX$35.44

-7.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 Q 10.31

$1.15 MX$21.55

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 Q 10.23

$1.18 MX$22.16

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 Q 29.23

$4.30 MX$80.7

-10.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 Q 58.7

$9.95 MX$187

-22.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 Q 21.46

$1.58 MX$29.76

77.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Q 27.43

$2.67 MX$50.2

34.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.71 Q 35.97

$4.97 MX$93.4

-5.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 Q 9.72

$1.44 MX$27.14

-11.81%

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

$23.2K Q 176.9K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

12.05%

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

$21.6K Q 164.9K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-8.04%

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

$57.0 Q 436

$84.8 MX$1,594

-32.75%

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

$38.13 Q 291

$23.41 MX$440

62.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.9 Q 473

$28.66 MX$539

116.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 Q 63.1

$5.14 MX$96.6

60.70%

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

$544 Q 4,153

$207 MX$3,882

163.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K Q 108.5K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

261.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.26 Q 338

$43.35 MX$815

2.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 Q 414

$41.44 MX$779

30.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 Q 707

$74.2 MX$1,394

24.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.4 Q 614

$89.3 MX$1,677

-9.96%

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 %)

11.45

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

Last update for Chiquimula: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Chiquimula

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Chiquimula

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Chiquimula

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiquimula

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Chiquimula

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Chiquimula

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Chiquimula

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Chiquimula versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Chiquimula

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h ahead of Chiquimula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,815

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

Chiquimula Playa del Carmen 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiquimula
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,229 per month in Chiquimula 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 $51 in Chiquimula 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 22% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiquimula, where all-in costs run around $819, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Chiquimula 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 $819 in Chiquimula to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.