Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Daule and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Daule: $841 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Daule
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Daule Living Index
59

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

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Daule

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$841

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Daule versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Daule $841
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,440 in Daule versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Daule $1,440
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,038 in Daule versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Daule $2,038
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Daule costs roughly 30% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Daule 38% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.17 $6.17

$10.86 MX$201

-43.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 $55.4

$44.21 MX$817

25.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.56 $7.56

$11.76 MX$217

-35.71%

Cappuccino

$3.41 $3.41

$3.68 MX$68.0

-7.34%

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

$1.42 $1.42

$1.34 MX$24.79

5.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.82 MX$15.24

32.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.06 MX$56.6

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.94 MX$91.2

19.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.47 MX$27.17

-21.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.22 MX$40.95

-30.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.48 MX$27.32

6.76%

Eggs

$2.17 $2.17

$2.49 MX$45.99

-12.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$7.52 MX$139

-12.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.61 $5.61

$7.96 MX$147

-29.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$12.57 MX$232

-38.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.78 MX$51.3

-19.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.43 MX$26.37

-17.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.62 MX$48.37

-49.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.14 MX$39.49

-46.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.02 MX$37.38

-41.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.99 MX$36.74

-48.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.14 MX$21.01

-19.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.20 MX$22.18

-10.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 $5.84

$4.26 MX$78.7

37.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 $10.12

$10.02 MX$185

1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.54 MX$28.41

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.66 MX$49.17

19.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.53 MX$9.73

-30.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 $17.84

$27.51 MX$508

-35.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 $1.52

$4.90 MX$90.6

-68.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$3.43 MX$63.5

-56.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.97 $9.97

$5.38 MX$99.4

85.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.45 MX$26.76

-43.45%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

0.74%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

21.67%

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

$28.28 $28.28

$85.4 MX$1,577

-66.87%

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

$17.71 $17.71

$23.46 MX$434

-24.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.02 $28.02

$28.43 MX$525

-1.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.43 $30.43

$62.2 MX$1,149

-51.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.43 $16.43

$28.68 MX$530

-42.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 $6.49

$5.10 MX$94.3

27.25%

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

$231 $231

$201 MX$3,715

14.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,957 $8,957

$3,947 MX$72.9K

126.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 $70.1

$44.39 MX$820

57.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.77 $49.77

$41.35 MX$764

20.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$72.7 MX$1,344

57.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$89.6 MX$1,656

21.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 $304

$979 MX$18.1K

-69.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 $190

$373 MX$6,887

-49.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 $713

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-57.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 $420

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-61.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,203 $1,203

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-69.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$778 $778

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-87.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.45

-11.62%

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

Last update for Daule: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Daule

$199 23.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 29.9% $59

Accommodation & Living

Daule

$190 22.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 96.6% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Daule

$155 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.8% $43

Eating Out

Daule

$153 18.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 31.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Daule

$74 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 85.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Daule

$43 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 66.8% $29

Getting Around

Daule

$28 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 83% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $304 in Daule and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Daule vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $199 vs $258, with Daule cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Daule

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

Same time as Daule

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,684

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Daule Playa del Carmen 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Daule
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

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

Daule is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,262 in Daule 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: $304 in Daule versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Daule – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $841 per month in Daule versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $841 in Daule versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Daule but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Daule the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Daule is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Daule gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.