Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecatepec and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index
59

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

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Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ecatepec $961
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,670 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ecatepec $1,670
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,380 per month in Ecatepec vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ecatepec $2,380
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Ecatepec is about 21% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ecatepec and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ecatepec 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 MX$206

$10.76 MX$199

3.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 MX$926

$43.03 MX$795

16.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 MX$177

$11.79 MX$218

-18.83%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$3.87 MX$71.4

-4.13%

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

$1.62 MX$30.02

$1.37 MX$25.29

18.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.09

$0.84 MX$15.44

29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$3.10 MX$57.3

9.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MX$103

$5.07 MX$93.6

10.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.71

$1.44 MX$26.55

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 MX$49.12

$2.23 MX$41.23

19.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.17

$1.47 MX$27.17

33.33%

Eggs

$2.75 MX$50.9

$2.53 MX$46.71

8.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 MX$163

$7.30 MX$135

20.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 MX$168

$7.86 MX$145

16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 MX$249

$12.79 MX$236

5.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$58.0

$2.90 MX$53.6

8.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.74

$1.44 MX$26.53

15.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.65

$2.55 MX$47.07

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.12

$2.06 MX$38.03

-7.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.16

$2.00 MX$36.97

-10.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$2.01 MX$37.07

-12.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.48

$1.19 MX$22.02

25.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.95

$1.26 MX$23.23

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 MX$84.9

$4.40 MX$81.4

4.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.62 MX$307

$9.59 MX$177

73.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.59 MX$29.41

20.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MX$70.7

$2.81 MX$51.9

36.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.72

$0.57 MX$10.47

10.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.01 MX$573

$27.82 MX$514

11.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MX$36.81

$4.98 MX$92.1

-60.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$3.50 MX$64.6

-85.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 MX$98.3

$5.40 MX$99.8

-1.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.48

$1.47 MX$27.08

4.76%

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

$21.5K MX$397.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

2.55%

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

$23.5K MX$434.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-1.65%

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

$57.7 MX$1,067

$84.2 MX$1,556

-31.45%

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

$27.01 MX$499

$23.99 MX$443

12.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.74 MX$457

$29.02 MX$536

-14.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.37 MX$487

$63.0 MX$1,164

-58.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 MX$203

$29.14 MX$539

-62.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$4.94 MX$91.3

30.97%

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

$270 MX$4,996

$204 MX$3,763

32.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,048 MX$93.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

28.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 MX$1,092

$43.60 MX$806

35.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 MX$830

$43.12 MX$797

4.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,855

$75.8 MX$1,400

32.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 MX$1,826

$88.6 MX$1,637

11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 MX$4,487

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-75.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MX$2,550

$374 MX$6,911

-63.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-60.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 MX$8,205

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-59.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$755 MX$14.0K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-80.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$755 MX$13.9K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-87.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 MX$10.2K

$754 MX$13.9K

-26.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.45

-1.31%

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

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ecatepec

$298 31%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 13.3% $40

Eating Out

Ecatepec

$201 21%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 0.5% $0.9

Accommodation & Living

Ecatepec

$138 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 171% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Ecatepec

$136 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 17.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecatepec

$109 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 25.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ecatepec

$39 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 85.4% $34

Getting Around

Ecatepec

$38 4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 37.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Ecatepec versus $1,008 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 36% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Ecatepec versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

1 h ahead of Ecatepec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,645,352

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ecatepec Playa del Carmen 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ecatepec
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $961 in Ecatepec, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Ecatepec and $1,816 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 Ecatepec, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Ecatepec and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $961 in Ecatepec and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $961 in Ecatepec to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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