Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dorado and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,270 in Dorado, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Dorado despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Dorado
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Dorado Living Index
57

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

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Dorado

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,270

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Dorado versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Dorado $1,270
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,010 in Dorado versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Dorado $2,010
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Dorado versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Dorado $2,749
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Dorado is roughly 6% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dorado 6% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.77 $18.77

$10.67 MX$199

75.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 $83.5

$43.80 MX$815

90.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 $8.96

$11.79 MX$219

-24.00%

Cappuccino

$3.62 $3.62

$3.79 MX$70.5

-4.49%

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

$1.92 $1.92

$1.30 MX$24.14

47.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.83 MX$15.51

81.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.15 MX$58.6

-6.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.93 MX$91.8

3.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.41 MX$26.22

56.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.20 MX$40.86

61.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.47 MX$27.40

62.59%

Eggs

$7.13 $7.13

$2.50 MX$46.46

185.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.41 $12.41

$7.29 MX$136

70.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 $9.87

$7.95 MX$148

24.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$12.86 MX$239

2.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.90 MX$53.9

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.38 MX$25.74

84.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.49 MX$46.35

100.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.03 MX$37.77

140.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.02 MX$37.68

92.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.90 MX$35.42

107.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.42 $3.42

$1.14 MX$21.30

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.24 MX$23.05

28.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.11 $12.11

$4.27 MX$79.5

183.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$9.81 MX$183

60.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.59 MX$29.51

93.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.75 MX$51.1

47.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$4.76 MX$88.6

-48.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.25 MX$60.5

-53.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.32 $42.32

$5.39 MX$100

685.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.53 MX$28.44

-30.72%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

65.22%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

21.72%

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

$318 $318

$83.5 MX$1,554

280.78%

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

$27.82 $27.82

$23.19 MX$431

19.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 $69.6

$27.61 MX$514

152.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 $10.66

$5.00 MX$93.1

113.20%

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

$824 $824

$207 MX$3,854

297.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,469 $6,469

$5,231 MX$97.3K

23.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 $56.6

$43.45 MX$809

30.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 $61.1

$42.54 MX$792

43.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$72.8 MX$1,354

46.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$88.4 MX$1,645

26.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Dorado: 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.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dorado

$415 32.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 67.7% $281

Groceries & Markets

Dorado

$413 32.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 37.7% $156

Eating Out

Dorado

$259 20.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 22.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Dorado

$151 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 26.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Dorado

$21 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 212% $45

Getting Around

Dorado

$10 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 404% $40

Accommodation & Living

Dorado

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $84 in Dorado vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Dorado

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

23:05 11:05 PM

1 h behind Dorado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,172

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dorado Playa del Carmen 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dorado
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,906 in Dorado and $1,804 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.

Childcare runs $824 in Dorado versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $84 in Dorado. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.