Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuautla and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Cuautla and in Playa del Carmen: $1,245 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Cuautla
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Cuautla Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Cuautla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,245

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,245 in Cuautla versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cuautla $1,245
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,023 in Cuautla versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cuautla $2,023
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,801 in Cuautla versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cuautla $2,801
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cuautla is roughly 3% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cuautla 8% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.4 MX$1,147

$43.37 MX$810

41.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 MX$181

$11.78 MX$220

-17.91%

Cappuccino

$3.51 MX$65.5

$3.81 MX$71.2

-7.87%

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

$1.63 MX$30.40

$1.28 MX$23.96

27.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.10

$0.78 MX$14.63

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$3.17 MX$59.2

0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 MX$103

$4.93 MX$92.2

11.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MX$35.71

$1.41 MX$26.28

35.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 MX$50.4

$2.22 MX$41.43

21.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.94

$1.42 MX$26.48

39.44%

Eggs

$2.71 MX$50.6

$2.52 MX$47.14

7.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.53 MX$159

$7.26 MX$136

17.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.71 MX$163

$7.70 MX$144

13.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.62 MX$255

$12.69 MX$237

7.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 MX$64.1

$2.78 MX$52.0

23.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.58

$1.37 MX$25.56

19.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 MX$39.51

$2.55 MX$47.66

-17.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.92

$2.12 MX$39.67

-9.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.47

$1.94 MX$36.22

-7.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.40

$1.89 MX$35.24

-5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 MX$27.94

$1.15 MX$21.42

30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.76

$1.18 MX$22.03

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MX$83.3

$4.30 MX$80.3

3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.34 MX$324

$9.95 MX$186

74.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 MX$39.26

$1.58 MX$29.59

32.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 MX$70.7

$2.67 MX$49.91

41.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.81

$0.55 MX$10.34

14.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 MX$549

$26.62 MX$497

10.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$60.6

$4.97 MX$92.9

-34.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 MX$46.80

$3.33 MX$62.2

-24.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$199

$5.36 MX$100

99.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 MX$23.33

$1.44 MX$26.98

-13.19%

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

$23.8K MX$445.0K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

15.24%

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

$23.5K MX$438.4K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

-0.03%

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

$57.5 MX$1,074

$84.8 MX$1,584

-32.21%

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

$26.76 MX$500

$23.41 MX$437

14.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.76 MX$463

$28.66 MX$535

-13.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.01 MX$617

$57.1 MX$1,066

-42.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 MX$364

$28.91 MX$540

-32.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 MX$137

$5.14 MX$96.0

43.00%

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

$259 MX$4,840

$207 MX$3,860

25.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,899 MX$91.5K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

24.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 MX$985

$43.35 MX$810

21.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 MX$811

$41.44 MX$774

4.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 MX$1,816

$74.2 MX$1,386

30.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 MX$1,773

$89.3 MX$1,668

6.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MX$12.1K

$980 MX$18.3K

-33.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 MX$7,728

$381 MX$7,116

8.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$952 MX$17.8K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-44.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 MX$14.6K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-27.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 MX$38.1K

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-48.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MX$18.2K

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-84.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

11.45

4.72%

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

Last update for Cuautla: 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

Cuautla

$414 33.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 7.9% $33

Groceries & Markets

Cuautla

$302 24.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 15.5% $47

Eating Out

Cuautla

$196 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 3.1% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Cuautla

$130 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 13.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuautla

$109 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 25.6% $28

Getting Around

Cuautla

$48 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 5.8% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Cuautla

$48 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 41.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $649 in Cuautla and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Cuautla vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuautla

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

1 h ahead of Cuautla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,336

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cuautla Playa del Carmen 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuautla
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,868 in Cuautla and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $649 in Cuautla versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,245 per month in Cuautla versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 9% less than in Cuautla. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.