Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durango and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Durango: $1,063 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Durango
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Durango Living Index
57

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

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Durango

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,063

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,063 per month in Durango vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Durango $1,063
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,670 per month in Durango vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Durango $1,670
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,278 per month in Durango vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Durango $2,278
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Durango is about 12% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Durango and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Durango 21% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.11 MX$132

$10.67 MX$199

-33.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.88 MX$556

$43.80 MX$815

-31.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 MX$192

$11.79 MX$219

-12.30%

Cappuccino

$1.85 MX$34.44

$3.79 MX$70.5

-51.19%

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

$1.14 MX$21.29

$1.30 MX$24.14

-12.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.93

$0.83 MX$15.51

-3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 MX$25.71

$3.15 MX$58.6

-56.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.70

$4.93 MX$91.8

-45.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$1.41 MX$26.22

-12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 MX$45.72

$2.20 MX$40.86

11.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MX$22.17

$1.47 MX$27.40

-19.05%

Eggs

$2.19 MX$40.78

$2.50 MX$46.46

-12.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 MX$139

$7.29 MX$136

2.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 MX$154

$7.95 MX$148

3.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.01 MX$168

$12.86 MX$239

-29.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 MX$44.07

$2.90 MX$53.9

-18.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.01

$1.38 MX$25.74

9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.44

$2.49 MX$46.35

-30.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 MX$21.64

$2.03 MX$37.77

-42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 MX$21.82

$2.02 MX$37.68

-42.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 MX$23.43

$1.90 MX$35.42

-33.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 MX$14.71

$1.14 MX$21.30

-30.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$21.02

$1.24 MX$23.05

-8.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 MX$69.4

$4.27 MX$79.5

-12.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 MX$247

$9.81 MX$183

35.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MX$31.71

$1.59 MX$29.51

6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 MX$49.13

$2.75 MX$51.1

-4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.67

$0.51 MX$9.58

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.27 MX$489

$27.39 MX$510

-4.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 MX$21.34

$4.76 MX$88.6

-75.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 MX$34.66

$3.25 MX$60.5

-42.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.31 MX$173

$5.39 MX$100

72.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.47

$1.53 MX$28.44

-10.46%

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

$18.8K MX$349.5K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

-11.46%

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

$23.6K MX$440.1K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

1.66%

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

$56.6 MX$1,053

$83.5 MX$1,554

-32.20%

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

$20.23 MX$377

$23.19 MX$431

-12.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 MX$495

$27.61 MX$514

-3.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.21 MX$413

$56.4 MX$1,050

-60.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.35 MX$174

$28.19 MX$525

-66.83%

Cinema Ticket

$3.81 MX$70.8

$5.00 MX$93.1

-23.80%

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

$176 MX$3,280

$207 MX$3,854

-14.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,341 MX$43.6K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

-55.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$1,007

$43.45 MX$809

24.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.33 MX$751

$42.54 MX$792

-5.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 MX$1,821

$72.8 MX$1,354

34.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,662

$88.4 MX$1,645

1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 MX$11.3K

$995 MX$18.5K

-38.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 MX$7,357

$382 MX$7,116

3.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 MX$19.0K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-38.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 MX$14.5K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-27.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MX$35.9K

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-50.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$988 MX$18.4K

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-83.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$529 MX$9,842

$832 MX$15.5K

-36.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.3

11.45

7.42%

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

Last update for Durango: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Durango

$395 37.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 3.3% $13

Groceries & Markets

Durango

$238 22.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 8.2% $19

Eating Out

Durango

$130 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 53.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Durango

$127 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 12.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durango

$103 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 29.8% $31

Getting Around

Durango

$39 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 27.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Durango

$30 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 123% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $610 in Durango versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 57% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Durango versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $257 – making Durango the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Durango

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

14:31 2:31 PM

1 h ahead of Durango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

518,709

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Durango Playa del Carmen 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Durango
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,063 in Durango, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Durango comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,594 per month in Durango and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durango, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $610 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Durango and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,063 in Durango and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Durango – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Durango. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.