Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colima and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
Learn more

Colima Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $941 in Colima versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Colima $941
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,533 in Colima versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Colima $1,533
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Colima versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Colima $2,125
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Colima costs roughly 22% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colima 31% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.36 MX$138

$10.92 MX$205

-32.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.08 MX$602

$43.37 MX$814

-26.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 MX$134

$11.78 MX$221

-39.30%

Cappuccino

$2.09 MX$39.23

$3.81 MX$71.5

-45.14%

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

$0.97 MX$18.25

$1.28 MX$24.07

-24.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.52

$0.78 MX$14.70

6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 MX$41.26

$3.17 MX$59.5

-30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$46.62

$4.93 MX$92.7

-49.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.33

$1.41 MX$26.40

7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$47.64

$2.22 MX$41.62

14.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 MX$21.37

$1.42 MX$26.61

-19.72%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.0

$2.52 MX$47.36

9.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 MX$154

$7.26 MX$136

12.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 MX$156

$7.70 MX$144

7.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MX$182

$12.69 MX$238

-23.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 MX$52.6

$2.78 MX$52.3

0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 MX$25.42

$1.37 MX$25.68

-1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.65

$2.55 MX$47.89

-33.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.79

$2.12 MX$39.86

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 MX$43.04

$1.94 MX$36.39

18.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 MX$42.59

$1.89 MX$35.41

20.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$1.15 MX$21.53

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.89

$1.18 MX$22.13

-5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 MX$70.1

$4.30 MX$80.6

-13.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.36 MX$119

$9.95 MX$187

-36.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$27.96

$1.58 MX$29.73

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$32.53

$2.67 MX$50.1

-35.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.70

$0.55 MX$10.39

23.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.57 MX$367

$26.62 MX$500

-26.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 MX$46.74

$4.97 MX$93.3

-49.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.77 MX$52.0

$3.33 MX$62.5

-16.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.16 MX$172

$5.36 MX$101

70.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.95

$1.44 MX$27.11

-4.17%

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

$22.1K MX$415.8K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

7.18%

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

$22.0K MX$412.4K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-6.39%

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

$65.5 MX$1,229

$84.8 MX$1,592

-22.80%

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

$19.85 MX$373

$23.41 MX$439

-15.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MX$537

$28.66 MX$538

-0.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MX$650

$57.1 MX$1,071

-39.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$402

$28.91 MX$543

-25.87%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 MX$88.0

$5.14 MX$96.5

-8.95%

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

$141 MX$2,652

$207 MX$3,878

-31.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,527 MX$47.4K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-35.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.57 MX$837

$43.35 MX$814

2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.99 MX$469

$41.44 MX$778

-39.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MX$1,376

$74.2 MX$1,393

-1.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 MX$1,840

$89.3 MX$1,676

9.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 MX$4,825

$980 MX$18.4K

-73.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 MX$4,931

$381 MX$7,150

-31.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 MX$6,926

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-78.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 MX$10.8K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-46.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$280 MX$5,261

$735 MX$13.8K

-61.85%

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 Colima: October 26, 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

Colima

$263 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 45% $118

Groceries & Markets

Colima

$245 26%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 4% $9.8

Eating Out

Colima

$129 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 57.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colima

$114 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 20.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Colima

$108 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Colima

$44 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 53% $23

Getting Around

Colima

$39 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 30.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $257 in Colima and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Colima vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $255 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Colima

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

1 h ahead of Colima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

146,965

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colima Playa del Carmen 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Colima
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $941 in Colima and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Colima is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Colima. 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: $257 in Colima versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 26% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $141 in Colima versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $941 in Colima versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.