Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuenca and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuenca and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Cuenca is 11.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 17% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Cuenca is 19.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 9.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Cuenca
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.85 โ‚ฌ14.54
$11.99 MX$227
40.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.71 โ‚ฌ39.47
$42.47 MX$803
7.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.08 โ‚ฌ7.84
$10.47 MX$198
-13.28%
Cappuccino
$2.19 โ‚ฌ1.89
$3.6 MX$68.2
-39.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 โ‚ฌ1.77
$1.44 MX$27.16
42.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 โ‚ฌ1.35
$0.89 MX$16.79
76.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.37 โ‚ฌ2.05
$3.09 MX$58.5
-23.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 โ‚ฌ3.02
$4.58 MX$86.6
-23.80%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cuenca
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 โ‚ฌ0.88
$1.38 MX$26.04
-26.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.39 โ‚ฌ1.2
$1.85 MX$34.9
-24.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.49 โ‚ฌ1.29
$1.57 MX$29.68
-5.10%
Eggs
$2.6 โ‚ฌ2.25
$2.55 MX$48.3
1.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.24 โ‚ฌ14.02
$8.61 MX$163
88.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.59 โ‚ฌ8.28
$8.54 MX$161
12.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.67 โ‚ฌ11.8
$10.98 MX$208
24.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.91 โ‚ฌ2.51
$2.72 MX$51.4
6.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 โ‚ฌ1.3
$1.51 MX$28.57
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 โ‚ฌ1.34
$1.88 MX$35.63
-17.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 โ‚ฌ2.83
$2.19 MX$41.42
49.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 โ‚ฌ1.57
$1.87 MX$35.3
-2.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.03 โ‚ฌ1.75
$2.19 MX$41.37
-7.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 โ‚ฌ1.22
$1.07 MX$20.23
31.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 โ‚ฌ0.97
$1.09 MX$20.64
2.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.63 โ‚ฌ4.86
$3.96 MX$74.9
42.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.86 โ‚ฌ5.06
$8.86 MX$167
-33.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 โ‚ฌ1.04
$1.72 MX$32.53
-29.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 โ‚ฌ1.54
$2.61 MX$49.37
-31.80%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Cuenca
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.31 โ‚ฌ1.13
$0.52 MX$9.74
151.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.68 โ‚ฌ29.94
$26.59 MX$503
30.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.61 โ‚ฌ3.98
$3.24 MX$61.2
42.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 โ‚ฌ0.89
$2.38 MX$44.94
-56.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.42 โ‚ฌ24.54
$3.11 MX$58.7
813.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 โ‚ฌ1.5
$1.31 MX$24.85
32.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.3K โ‚ฌ33.9K
$30.3K MX$573K
29.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.7K โ‚ฌ26.5K
$24K MX$453.6K
27.90%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cuenca
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$135 โ‚ฌ117
$84.2 MX$1,592
60.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.19 โ‚ฌ16.57
$22.14 MX$419
-13.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.1 โ‚ฌ24.26
$30.14 MX$570
-6.77%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cuenca
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.59 โ‚ฌ39.36
$52 MX$983
-12.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.54 โ‚ฌ12.56
$18.72 MX$354
-22.33%
Cinema Ticket
$8.16 โ‚ฌ7.04
$5.07 MX$95.9
60.95%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Cuenca
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$341 โ‚ฌ295
$200 MX$3,787
70.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,654 โ‚ฌ8,336
$5,333 MX$100.8K
81.04%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cuenca
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.6 โ‚ฌ60.9
$35.74 MX$676
97.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.62 โ‚ฌ35.07
$39.8 MX$753
2.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.9 โ‚ฌ84.6
$79 MX$1,493
24.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 โ‚ฌ98.3
$88.4 MX$1,671
28.81%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Cuenca
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$708 โ‚ฌ611
$965 MX$18.3K
-26.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 โ‚ฌ449
$474 MX$8,968
9.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$819 โ‚ฌ707
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-50.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 โ‚ฌ546
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-47.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,310 โ‚ฌ1,995
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-25.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,161 โ‚ฌ1,002
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-84.58%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Cuenca
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,439 โ‚ฌ1,242
$792 MX$15K
81.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.62
11.42
-68.30%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cuenca: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.