Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuauhtémoc and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Cuauhtémoc and in Playa del Carmen: $1,191 and $1,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Cuauhtémoc
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Cuauhtémoc Living Index
57

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

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Cuauhtémoc

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,191 per month in Cuauhtémoc vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cuauhtémoc $1,191
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,860 per month in Cuauhtémoc vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cuauhtémoc $1,860
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,530 per month in Cuauhtémoc vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cuauhtémoc $2,530
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Cuauhtémoc and Playa del Carmen have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Cuauhtémoc and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Cuauhtémoc 12% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 MX$203

$10.67 MX$200

1.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.33 MX$814

$43.80 MX$823

-1.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 MX$156

$11.79 MX$221

-29.35%

Cappuccino

$3.43 MX$64.4

$3.79 MX$71.1

-9.50%

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

$1.32 MX$24.85

$1.30 MX$24.36

1.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.67

$0.83 MX$15.65

26.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 MX$46.22

$3.15 MX$59.1

-21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 MX$77.9

$4.93 MX$92.7

-15.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.41 MX$26.46

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 MX$47.43

$2.20 MX$41.23

15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.68

$1.47 MX$27.66

14.97%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$46.20

$2.50 MX$46.89

-1.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 MX$154

$7.29 MX$137

12.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 MX$153

$7.95 MX$149

2.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 MX$211

$12.86 MX$242

-12.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$49.72

$2.90 MX$54.4

-8.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.85

$1.38 MX$25.98

7.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.99

$2.49 MX$46.78

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.21

$2.03 MX$38.12

-10.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$2.02 MX$38.03

-1.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.82

$1.90 MX$35.74

-5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.92

$1.14 MX$21.49

25.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$20.02

$1.24 MX$23.27

-13.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.27 MX$80.2

0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.08 MX$189

$9.81 MX$184

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$33.30

$1.59 MX$29.78

11.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MX$56.9

$2.75 MX$51.6

10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.63

$0.51 MX$9.67

31.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.53 MX$573

$27.39 MX$514

11.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MX$49.32

$4.76 MX$89.4

-44.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MX$35.73

$3.25 MX$61.0

-41.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.79 MX$203

$5.39 MX$101

100.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.79

$1.53 MX$28.70

-3.27%

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

$23.4K MX$438.7K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

10.13%

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

$23.8K MX$446.5K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

2.19%

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

$56.6 MX$1,062

$83.5 MX$1,568

-32.26%

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

$22.47 MX$422

$23.19 MX$435

-3.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$551

$27.61 MX$519

6.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.80 MX$597

$56.4 MX$1,060

-43.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.76 MX$371

$28.19 MX$529

-29.90%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$93.5

$5.00 MX$93.9

-0.40%

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

$212 MX$3,978

$207 MX$3,889

2.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,464 MX$83.8K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

-14.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$1,000

$43.45 MX$816

22.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.97 MX$751

$42.54 MX$799

-6.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 MX$1,820

$72.8 MX$1,367

33.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 MX$1,648

$88.4 MX$1,660

-0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 MX$11.1K

$995 MX$18.7K

-40.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 MX$8,051

$382 MX$7,181

12.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 MX$19.1K

$1,674 MX$31.4K

-39.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 MX$14.0K

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-30.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,880 MX$35.3K

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-51.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,105 MX$20.7K

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-82.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.45

-1.22%

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

Last update for Cuauhtémoc: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuauhtémoc

$429 36%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 10.8% $46

Groceries & Markets

Cuauhtémoc

$259 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 0.5% $1.2

Eating Out

Cuauhtémoc

$183 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 9.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cuauhtémoc

$125 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 11.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuauhtémoc

$108 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 23.9% $26

Getting Around

Cuauhtémoc

$45 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 11.2% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cuauhtémoc

$42 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 59.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $592 in Cuauhtémoc versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cuauhtémoc versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Cuauhtémoc vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

23:29 11:29 PM

1 h ahead of Cuauhtémoc

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,884

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cuauhtémoc Playa del Carmen 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuauhtémoc
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,786 per month in Cuauhtémoc and $1,804 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 Cuauhtémoc, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $592 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $212 per month in Cuauhtémoc and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,191 in Cuauhtémoc and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cuauhtémoc costs $1,191 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.