Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuernavaca and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Cuernavaca and in Playa del Carmen: $1,208 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index
58

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

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Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,208

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Cuernavaca versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cuernavaca $1,208
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Cuernavaca versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cuernavaca $1,788
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,368 in Cuernavaca versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cuernavaca $2,368
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Monthly costs are close between Cuernavaca and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cuernavaca 11% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.98 MX$149

$10.92 MX$204

-26.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.14 MX$694

$43.37 MX$810

-14.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 MX$128

$11.78 MX$220

-42.02%

Cappuccino

$2.48 MX$46.28

$3.81 MX$71.2

-34.91%

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

$1.31 MX$24.45

$1.28 MX$23.96

2.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 MX$11.42

$0.78 MX$14.63

-21.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 MX$45.52

$3.17 MX$59.2

-23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 MX$61.1

$4.93 MX$92.2

-33.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$30.31

$1.41 MX$26.28

14.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$41.29

$2.22 MX$41.43

-0.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.50

$1.42 MX$26.48

Eggs

$1.89 MX$35.23

$2.52 MX$47.14

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 MX$145

$7.26 MX$136

6.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 MX$90.0

$7.70 MX$144

-37.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 MX$253

$12.69 MX$237

6.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 MX$41.26

$2.78 MX$52.0

-20.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MX$24.73

$1.37 MX$25.56

-3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.45

$2.55 MX$47.66

-12.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.95

$2.12 MX$39.67

-21.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.94

$1.94 MX$36.22

-9.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.94

$1.89 MX$35.24

-9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.89

$1.15 MX$21.42

29.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.50

$1.18 MX$22.03

-29.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 MX$79.1

$4.30 MX$80.3

-1.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 MX$150

$9.95 MX$186

-19.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.63

$1.58 MX$29.59

-23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MX$61.6

$2.67 MX$49.91

23.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MX$13.31

$0.55 MX$10.34

29.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 MX$653

$26.62 MX$497

31.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MX$35.62

$4.97 MX$92.9

-61.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 MX$46.60

$3.33 MX$62.2

-25.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.64 MX$199

$5.36 MX$100

98.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.94

$1.44 MX$26.98

-7.64%

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

$24.5K MX$456.9K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

18.33%

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

$23.4K MX$436.5K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

-0.44%

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

$56.4 MX$1,054

$84.8 MX$1,584

-33.51%

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

$18.52 MX$346

$23.41 MX$437

-20.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.73 MX$462

$28.66 MX$535

-13.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.09 MX$543

$57.1 MX$1,066

-49.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$97.9

$5.14 MX$96.0

1.95%

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

$218 MX$4,072

$207 MX$3,860

5.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,055 MX$94.5K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

28.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.44 MX$756

$43.35 MX$810

-6.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.23 MX$602

$41.44 MX$774

-22.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 MX$1,728

$74.2 MX$1,386

24.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MX$1,826

$89.3 MX$1,668

9.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 MX$11.6K

$980 MX$18.3K

-36.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 MX$9,882

$381 MX$7,116

38.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.8K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-47.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 MX$15.0K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-25.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$851 MX$15.9K

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-78.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$594 MX$11.1K

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-90.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$638 MX$11.9K

$735 MX$13.7K

-13.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

11.45

-0.44%

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

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 25, 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

Cuernavaca

$529 43.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 28% $148

Groceries & Markets

Cuernavaca

$229 19%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 11.2% $26

Eating Out

Cuernavaca

$140 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 44.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cuernavaca

$118 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.6% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuernavaca

$100 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 37.4% $37

Getting Around

Cuernavaca

$52 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 3.3% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cuernavaca

$40 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 70.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Cuernavaca and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 15% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Cuernavaca vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $255 per month, with Cuernavaca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

1 h ahead of Cuernavaca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,029

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

Cuernavaca Playa del Carmen 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuernavaca
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

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

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Cuernavaca. 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: $619 in Cuernavaca 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 Playa del Carmen runs roughly 24% less than in Cuernavaca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Shoppers in Cuernavaca pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.