Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad Obregon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Ciudad Obregon and in Playa del Carmen: $1,183 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Obregon
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Ciudad Obregon 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 Obregon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,183

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Ciudad Obregon versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ciudad Obregon $1,183
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Ciudad Obregon versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Ciudad Obregon $1,868
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,553 in Ciudad Obregon versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Ciudad Obregon $2,553
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Ciudad Obregon costs roughly 2% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ciudad Obregon 13% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 MX$191

$10.86 MX$201

-5.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.41 MX$895

$44.21 MX$817

9.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 MX$154

$11.76 MX$217

-29.25%

Cappuccino

$3.94 MX$72.7

$3.68 MX$68.0

7.07%

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

$1.24 MX$22.87

$1.34 MX$24.79

-7.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$20.93

$0.82 MX$15.24

37.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 MX$47.31

$3.06 MX$56.6

-16.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MX$80.1

$4.94 MX$91.2

-12.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 MX$29.02

$1.47 MX$27.17

6.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 MX$47.49

$2.22 MX$40.95

15.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.05

$1.48 MX$27.32

16.89%

Eggs

$2.39 MX$44.10

$2.49 MX$45.99

-4.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 MX$153

$7.52 MX$139

9.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 MX$149

$7.96 MX$147

1.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.24 MX$208

$12.57 MX$232

-10.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$48.92

$2.78 MX$51.3

-4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$27.48

$1.43 MX$26.37

4.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.15

$2.62 MX$48.37

-29.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.82

$2.14 MX$39.49

-16.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$2.02 MX$37.38

-0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.07

$1.99 MX$36.74

-12.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.18

$1.14 MX$21.01

28.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.57

$1.20 MX$22.18

-7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$4.26 MX$78.7

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 MX$211

$10.02 MX$185

14.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MX$31.39

$1.54 MX$28.41

10.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$57.1

$2.66 MX$49.17

16.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.48

$0.53 MX$9.73

28.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 MX$46.69

$4.90 MX$90.6

-48.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 MX$30.81

$3.43 MX$63.5

-51.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.65 MX$178

$5.38 MX$99.4

79.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.00

$1.45 MX$26.76

-6.90%

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

$25.9K MX$478.2K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

22.31%

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

$25.4K MX$469.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

10.43%

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

$65.9 MX$1,218

$85.4 MX$1,577

-22.81%

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

$19.30 MX$357

$23.46 MX$434

-17.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.95 MX$535

$28.43 MX$525

1.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.67 MX$622

$62.2 MX$1,149

-45.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 MX$370

$28.68 MX$530

-30.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 MX$93.7

$5.10 MX$94.3

-0.59%

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

$215 MX$3,980

$201 MX$3,715

7.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,644 MX$85.8K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

17.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 MX$987

$44.39 MX$820

20.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.86 MX$755

$41.35 MX$764

-1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,862

$72.7 MX$1,344

38.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 MX$1,659

$89.6 MX$1,656

0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$684 MX$12.6K

$979 MX$18.1K

-30.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 MX$8,053

$373 MX$6,887

16.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 MX$21.4K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-30.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 MX$14.5K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-28.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 MX$35.7K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-51.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,120 MX$20.7K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-81.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,189 MX$22.0K

$738 MX$13.6K

61.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.45

-1.31%

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

Last update for Ciudad Obregon: October 19, 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 Obregon

$436 36.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 14.5% $63

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad Obregon

$261 22.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 1.2% $3.1

Eating Out

Ciudad Obregon

$186 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 7.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad Obregon

$128 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad Obregon

$114 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 20.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad Obregon

$44 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 65.3% $29

Getting Around

Ciudad Obregon

$14 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 281% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $684 in Ciudad Obregon and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ciudad Obregon pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Ciudad Obregon vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ciudad Obregon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

2 h ahead of Ciudad Obregon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,404

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

On the map

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Between locations

Ciudad Obregon Playa del Carmen 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Ciudad Obregon wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Obregon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Ciudad Obregon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $684 in Ciudad Obregon versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $215 in Ciudad Obregon versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,183 in Ciudad Obregon versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad Obregon but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad Obregon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ciudad Obregon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,183 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ciudad Obregon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ciudad Obregon and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ciudad Obregon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.