Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,163 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

56

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index
58

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

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Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,163

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,163 in Cozumel versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cozumel $1,163
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,813 in Cozumel versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cozumel $1,813
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,464 in Cozumel versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cozumel $2,464
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cozumel costs roughly 3% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cozumel 15% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.67 MX$163

$10.92 MX$205

-20.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.79 MX$822

$43.37 MX$814

0.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 MX$150

$11.78 MX$221

-32.09%

Cappuccino

$2.76 MX$51.7

$3.81 MX$71.5

-27.56%

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

$1.06 MX$19.85

$1.28 MX$24.07

-17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$17.68

$0.78 MX$14.70

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 MX$29.60

$3.17 MX$59.5

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 MX$57.6

$4.93 MX$92.7

-37.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.48

$1.41 MX$26.40

3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 MX$30.83

$2.22 MX$41.62

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.96

$1.42 MX$26.61

23.94%

Eggs

$1.85 MX$34.71

$2.52 MX$47.36

-26.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 MX$188

$7.26 MX$136

38.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 MX$146

$7.70 MX$144

1.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 MX$231

$12.69 MX$238

-3.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 MX$44.28

$2.78 MX$52.3

-15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.79

$1.37 MX$25.68

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.23

$2.55 MX$47.89

-16.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.77

$2.12 MX$39.86

-27.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.22

$1.94 MX$36.39

13.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.98

$1.89 MX$35.41

-4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.31

$1.15 MX$21.53

26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$20.60

$1.18 MX$22.13

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$83.0

$4.30 MX$80.6

2.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 MX$199

$9.95 MX$187

6.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$28.01

$1.58 MX$29.73

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$46.93

$2.67 MX$50.1

-6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 MX$11.02

$0.55 MX$10.39

7.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 MX$559

$26.62 MX$500

11.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$49.00

$4.97 MX$93.3

-47.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 MX$54.3

$3.33 MX$62.5

-13.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 MX$165

$5.36 MX$101

63.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$24.80

$1.44 MX$27.11

-8.33%

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

$19.5K MX$365.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

-5.76%

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

$23.1K MX$433.7K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-1.55%

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

$57.8 MX$1,085

$84.8 MX$1,592

-31.84%

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

$20.69 MX$388

$23.41 MX$439

-11.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.21 MX$398

$28.66 MX$538

-25.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.82 MX$710

$57.1 MX$1,071

-33.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 MX$370

$28.91 MX$543

-31.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.97 MX$112

$5.14 MX$96.5

16.15%

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

$259 MX$4,861

$207 MX$3,878

25.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,514 MX$66.0K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-10.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 MX$1,034

$43.35 MX$814

27.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 MX$985

$41.44 MX$778

26.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 MX$1,867

$74.2 MX$1,393

33.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 MX$1,570

$89.3 MX$1,676

-6.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 MX$11.2K

$980 MX$18.4K

-38.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 MX$8,162

$381 MX$7,150

14.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 MX$29.5K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-7.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$741 MX$13.9K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-31.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,899 MX$35.6K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-51.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,140 MX$21.4K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-81.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$651 MX$12.2K

$735 MX$13.8K

-11.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.64

11.45

1.66%

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

Last update for Cozumel: October 24, 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

Cozumel

$435 37.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 12.4% $54

Groceries & Markets

Cozumel

$250 21.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.7% $4.3

Eating Out

Cozumel

$148 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 36.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Cozumel

$131 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cozumel

$100 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 37.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cozumel

$50 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 35.3% $18

Getting Around

Cozumel

$49 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Cozumel and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 13% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Cozumel vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $255, with Cozumel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

Same time as Cozumel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,236

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

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Between locations

Cozumel Playa del Carmen 28 km

From you

Cozumel
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,163 in Cozumel and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Cozumel is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Cozumel. 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: $599 in Cozumel versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $259 in Cozumel versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,163 per month in Cozumel versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Cozumel is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Cozumel gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cozumel delivers better value at $1,163 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cozumel hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Cozumel wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.