Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad Lerdo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Lerdo: $831 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Lerdo
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Ciudad Lerdo Living Index
59

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

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Ciudad Lerdo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$831

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $831 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ciudad Lerdo $831
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,327 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Ciudad Lerdo $1,327
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,823 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Ciudad Lerdo $1,823
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Ciudad Lerdo costs roughly 31% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ciudad Lerdo 39% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.54 MX$102

$10.86 MX$201

-48.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.39 MX$488

$44.21 MX$817

-40.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 MX$123

$11.76 MX$217

-43.28%

Cappuccino

$1.61 MX$29.70

$3.68 MX$68.0

-56.25%

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

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.34 MX$24.79

-41.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 MX$10.43

$0.82 MX$15.24

-31.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 MX$26.01

$3.06 MX$56.6

-53.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 MX$50.9

$4.94 MX$91.2

-44.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 MX$19.95

$1.47 MX$27.17

-26.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 MX$24.63

$2.22 MX$40.95

-40.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 MX$19.82

$1.48 MX$27.32

-27.70%

Eggs

$1.61 MX$29.73

$2.49 MX$45.99

-35.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.80 MX$70.3

$7.52 MX$139

-49.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 MX$71.2

$7.96 MX$147

-51.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 MX$124

$12.57 MX$232

-46.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 MX$24.67

$2.78 MX$51.3

-51.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 MX$14.40

$1.43 MX$26.37

-45.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 MX$14.84

$2.62 MX$48.37

-69.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 MX$14.77

$2.14 MX$39.49

-62.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 MX$15.76

$2.02 MX$37.38

-57.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MX$15.71

$1.99 MX$36.74

-57.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$1.14 MX$21.01

-54.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 MX$12.60

$1.20 MX$22.18

-43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.74 MX$69.1

$4.26 MX$78.7

-12.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 MX$122

$10.02 MX$185

-33.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.06

$1.54 MX$28.41

-29.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 MX$24.74

$2.66 MX$49.17

-49.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.58

$0.53 MX$9.73

28.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.78 MX$255

$27.51 MX$508

-49.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 MX$21.83

$4.90 MX$90.6

-75.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$3.43 MX$63.5

-44.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 MX$102

$5.38 MX$99.4

2.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 MX$22.84

$1.45 MX$26.76

-14.48%

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

$18.2K MX$336.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-14.04%

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

$21.0K MX$388.4K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-8.69%

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

$32.65 MX$603

$85.4 MX$1,577

-61.75%

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

$13.57 MX$251

$23.46 MX$434

-42.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.84 MX$404

$28.43 MX$525

-23.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$620

$62.2 MX$1,149

-46.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 MX$376

$28.68 MX$530

-29.08%

Cinema Ticket

$3.92 MX$72.4

$5.10 MX$94.3

-23.14%

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

$140 MX$2,580

$201 MX$3,715

-30.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,745 MX$50.7K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-30.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.70 MX$512

$44.39 MX$820

-37.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.70 MX$401

$41.35 MX$764

-47.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 MX$1,026

$72.7 MX$1,344

-23.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.18 MX$798

$89.6 MX$1,656

-51.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 MX$11.4K

$979 MX$18.1K

-37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,123

$373 MX$6,887

3.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 MX$19.5K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-37.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 MX$14.4K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-28.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,880 MX$34.7K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-52.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 MX$21.4K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-81.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$218 MX$4,036

$738 MX$13.6K

-70.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

11.45

-8.03%

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

Last update for Ciudad Lerdo: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ciudad Lerdo

$385 46.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 3.3% $13

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad Lerdo

$140 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 84.4% $118

Eating Out

Ciudad Lerdo

$102 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 97.1% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad Lerdo

$68 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 102% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad Lerdo

$67 8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 67.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad Lerdo

$41 5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 74.8% $31

Getting Around

Ciudad Lerdo

$27 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 89.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $615 in Ciudad Lerdo and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 238% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $26.00 in Ciudad Lerdo vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $140 vs $258 per month, with Ciudad Lerdo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ciudad Lerdo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

1 h ahead of Ciudad Lerdo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,243

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

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Ciudad Lerdo Playa del Carmen 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Ciudad Lerdo wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Lerdo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 238% lower in Playa del Carmen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $615 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ciudad Lerdo runs roughly 100% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $140 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $831 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad Lerdo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad Lerdo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ciudad Lerdo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $831 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ciudad Lerdo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Ciudad Lerdo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.