Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad del Carmen and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Ciudad del Carmen and in Playa del Carmen: $1,206 and $1,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Carmen
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Ciudad del Carmen Living Index
57

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

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Ciudad del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,206

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Ciudad del Carmen $1,206
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ciudad del Carmen $1,876
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,546 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Ciudad del Carmen $2,546
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Monthly costs are close between Ciudad del Carmen and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ciudad del Carmen 11% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$10.67 MX$198

2.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.18 MX$801

$43.80 MX$813

-1.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.49 MX$158

$11.79 MX$219

-27.99%

Cappuccino

$3.41 MX$63.4

$3.79 MX$70.3

-10.03%

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

$1.32 MX$24.58

$1.30 MX$24.07

1.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.49

$0.83 MX$15.47

26.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MX$44.40

$3.15 MX$58.4

-24.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 MX$74.4

$4.93 MX$91.6

-18.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$30.01

$1.41 MX$26.14

14.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$48.76

$2.20 MX$40.75

19.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.10

$1.47 MX$27.33

14.29%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.91

$2.50 MX$46.34

-1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 MX$150

$7.29 MX$135

10.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.30 MX$154

$7.95 MX$148

4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 MX$208

$12.86 MX$239

-12.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$49.28

$2.90 MX$53.8

-8.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.01

$1.38 MX$25.67

9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.33

$2.49 MX$46.23

-23.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.13

$2.03 MX$37.67

-9.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.65

$2.02 MX$37.58

0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.69

$1.90 MX$35.32

-4.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 MX$25.91

$1.14 MX$21.24

22.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.62

$1.24 MX$22.99

-14.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$82.1

$4.27 MX$79.3

3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.31 MX$191

$9.81 MX$182

5.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$32.08

$1.59 MX$29.43

8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$2.75 MX$51.0

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.46

$0.51 MX$9.56

21.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.63 MX$569

$27.39 MX$508

11.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 MX$48.11

$4.76 MX$88.4

-45.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 MX$35.43

$3.25 MX$60.3

-41.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 MX$196

$5.39 MX$100

95.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.44

$1.53 MX$28.36

-7.19%

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

$24.1K MX$446.6K

$21.2K MX$393.7K

13.45%

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

$23.4K MX$434.4K

$23.3K MX$431.7K

0.63%

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

$56.0 MX$1,039

$83.5 MX$1,549

-32.91%

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

$22.36 MX$415

$23.19 MX$430

-3.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.71 MX$533

$27.61 MX$512

3.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.39 MX$601

$56.4 MX$1,047

-42.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 MX$373

$28.19 MX$523

-28.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 MX$93.3

$5.00 MX$92.8

0.60%

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

$217 MX$4,031

$207 MX$3,843

4.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,449 MX$82.6K

$5,231 MX$97.1K

-14.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 MX$985

$43.45 MX$806

22.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$740

$42.54 MX$789

-6.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 MX$1,834

$72.8 MX$1,350

35.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.9 MX$1,632

$88.4 MX$1,640

-0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 MX$10.9K

$995 MX$18.5K

-40.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 MX$8,188

$382 MX$7,097

15.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 MX$19.1K

$1,674 MX$31.1K

-38.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$754 MX$14.0K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-30.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,863 MX$34.6K

$3,909 MX$72.5K

-52.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 MX$20.5K

$6,138 MX$113.9K

-81.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.45

-1.22%

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

Last update for Ciudad del Carmen: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ciudad del Carmen

$441 36.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 13.3% $59

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad del Carmen

$261 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 1.4% $3.8

Eating Out

Ciudad del Carmen

$183 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 9.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad del Carmen

$126 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 11.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad del Carmen

$107 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 25.4% $27

Getting Around

Ciudad del Carmen

$45 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 11.5% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad del Carmen

$42 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 56.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ciudad del Carmen and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Ciudad del Carmen vs $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $261 vs $257, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ciudad del Carmen

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

13:01 1:01 PM

1 h ahead of Ciudad del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,238

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ciudad del Carmen Playa del Carmen 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ciudad del Carmen
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

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

You’d need roughly $1,809 in Ciudad del Carmen and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 11% less than in Ciudad del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.