Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad Juarez and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Juarez: $1,140 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Juarez
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Ciudad Juarez Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,140 per month in Ciudad Juarez vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ciudad Juarez $1,140
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,839 per month in Ciudad Juarez vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ciudad Juarez $1,839
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,538 per month in Ciudad Juarez vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ciudad Juarez $2,538
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ciudad Juarez is about 5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ciudad Juarez and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ciudad Juarez 16% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.24 MX$174

$10.92 MX$205

-15.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.44 MX$610

$43.37 MX$815

-25.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 MX$191

$11.78 MX$221

-13.75%

Cappuccino

$2.82 MX$52.9

$3.81 MX$71.6

-25.98%

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

$1.07 MX$20.07

$1.28 MX$24.10

-16.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 MX$13.08

$0.78 MX$14.71

-10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 MX$38.21

$3.17 MX$59.5

-35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 MX$78.7

$4.93 MX$92.7

-15.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MX$32.64

$1.41 MX$26.43

23.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 MX$43.35

$2.22 MX$41.66

4.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.68

$1.42 MX$26.64

11.27%

Eggs

$2.26 MX$42.56

$2.52 MX$47.41

-10.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 MX$237

$7.26 MX$137

74.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.68 MX$125

$7.70 MX$145

-13.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.92 MX$224

$12.69 MX$239

-6.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$49.35

$2.78 MX$52.3

-5.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.84

$1.37 MX$25.71

51.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.62

$2.55 MX$47.94

-29.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.69

$2.12 MX$39.90

-2.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.67

$1.94 MX$36.43

-15.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$41.08

$1.89 MX$35.44

15.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 MX$29.27

$1.15 MX$21.55

35.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.97

$1.18 MX$22.16

-10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$84.7

$4.30 MX$80.7

4.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 MX$199

$9.95 MX$187

6.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.29

$1.58 MX$29.76

-21.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 MX$60.5

$2.67 MX$50.2

20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.79

$0.55 MX$10.40

14.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.40 MX$515

$26.62 MX$500

2.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 MX$77.7

$4.97 MX$93.4

-16.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MX$20.83

$3.33 MX$62.6

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.00 MX$301

$5.36 MX$101

198.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$25.01

$1.44 MX$27.14

-7.64%

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

$20.8K MX$391.8K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

0.88%

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

$24.2K MX$454.9K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

3.16%

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

$82.7 MX$1,554

$84.8 MX$1,594

-2.50%

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

$22.53 MX$423

$23.41 MX$440

-3.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.53 MX$536

$28.66 MX$539

-0.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.02 MX$602

$57.1 MX$1,072

-43.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.54 MX$273

$28.91 MX$543

-49.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 MX$81.8

$5.14 MX$96.6

-15.37%

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

$218 MX$4,096

$207 MX$3,882

5.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,777 MX$52.2K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-29.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 MX$1,092

$43.35 MX$815

34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.58 MX$612

$41.44 MX$779

-21.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 MX$1,369

$74.2 MX$1,394

-1.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 MX$1,524

$89.3 MX$1,677

-9.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 MX$11.4K

$980 MX$18.4K

-38.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 MX$7,218

$381 MX$7,157

0.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 MX$19.0K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-40.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$851 MX$16.0K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-20.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$955 MX$17.9K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-75.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$686 MX$12.9K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-88.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$567 MX$10.7K

$735 MX$13.8K

-22.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.32

11.45

-1.14%

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

Last update for Ciudad Juarez: October 25, 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

Ciudad Juarez

$384 33.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 0.8% $3.2

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad Juarez

$268 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 4.9% $13

Eating Out

Ciudad Juarez

$164 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 23.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad Juarez

$134 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 2.3% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad Juarez

$110 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 1.5% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad Juarez

$41 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 65.3% $27

Getting Around

Ciudad Juarez

$40 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 27.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $607 in Ciudad Juarez 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 30% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Ciudad Juarez versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Ciudad Juarez vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

03:12 3:12 AM

2 h ahead of Ciudad Juarez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,501,551

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ciudad Juarez Playa del Carmen 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Ciudad Juarez comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,710 per month in Ciudad Juarez 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 Ciudad Juarez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Ciudad Juarez 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 $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Ciudad Juarez about 5% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ciudad Juarez. 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.