Cost of Living Comparison Between El Medano and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between El Medano and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: El Medano is 1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: El Medano is 26.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 27.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
El Medano
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.27 โ‚ฌ14.91
$11.99 MX$227
44.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59 โ‚ฌ50.9
$42.47 MX$803
38.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.37 โ‚ฌ8.95
$10.47 MX$198
-0.96%
Cappuccino
$2.04 โ‚ฌ1.76
$3.6 MX$68.2
-43.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 โ‚ฌ1.51
$1.44 MX$27.16
21.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 โ‚ฌ0.91
$0.89 MX$16.79
19.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.93 โ‚ฌ2.53
$3.09 MX$58.5
-5.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 โ‚ฌ2.73
$4.58 MX$86.6
-30.79%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
El Medano
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 โ‚ฌ1.05
$1.38 MX$26.04
-11.59%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 โ‚ฌ1.53
$1.85 MX$34.9
-4.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.52 โ‚ฌ1.31
$1.57 MX$29.68
-3.18%
Eggs
$3.16 โ‚ฌ2.73
$2.55 MX$48.3
23.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.9 โ‚ฌ12.86
$8.61 MX$163
73.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.41 โ‚ฌ7.26
$8.54 MX$161
-1.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.52 โ‚ฌ12.54
$10.98 MX$208
32.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 โ‚ฌ2.07
$2.72 MX$51.4
-12.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 โ‚ฌ1.45
$1.51 MX$28.57
10.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.6 โ‚ฌ1.38
$1.88 MX$35.63
-14.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
$2.19 MX$41.42
19.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.63 โ‚ฌ1.4
$1.87 MX$35.3
-12.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.7 โ‚ฌ1.47
$2.19 MX$41.37
-22.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 โ‚ฌ1.26
$1.07 MX$20.23
36.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 โ‚ฌ0.61
$1.09 MX$20.64
-34.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.22 โ‚ฌ4.51
$3.96 MX$74.9
31.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.98 โ‚ฌ6.89
$8.86 MX$167
-9.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 โ‚ฌ1.37
$1.72 MX$32.53
-7.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 โ‚ฌ1.17
$2.61 MX$49.37
-47.89%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
El Medano
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 โ‚ฌ1.43
$0.52 MX$9.74
217.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.39 โ‚ฌ15.01
$26.59 MX$503
-34.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.72 โ‚ฌ4.08
$3.24 MX$61.2
45.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 โ‚ฌ1.14
$2.38 MX$44.94
-44.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.43 โ‚ฌ15.05
$3.11 MX$58.7
460.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 โ‚ฌ1.12
$1.31 MX$24.85
-0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K โ‚ฌ24.4K
$30.3K MX$573K
-6.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30K โ‚ฌ25.9K
$24K MX$453.6K
24.98%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Medano
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.1 โ‚ฌ79.5
$84.2 MX$1,592
9.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.57 โ‚ฌ18.62
$22.14 MX$419
-2.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.95 โ‚ฌ26.72
$30.14 MX$570
2.69%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
El Medano
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.69 โ‚ฌ39.44
$52 MX$983
-12.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.84 โ‚ฌ12.82
$18.72 MX$354
-20.73%
Cinema Ticket
$9.96 โ‚ฌ8.6
$5.07 MX$95.9
96.45%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
El Medano
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$346 โ‚ฌ299
$200 MX$3,787
72.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,315 โ‚ฌ7,179
$5,333 MX$100.8K
55.93%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
El Medano
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.8 โ‚ฌ72.3
$35.74 MX$676
134.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.58 โ‚ฌ28.99
$39.8 MX$753
-15.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.5 โ‚ฌ74.6
$79 MX$1,493
9.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.7 โ‚ฌ60.2
$88.4 MX$1,671
-21.09%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
El Medano
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,036 โ‚ฌ895
$965 MX$18.3K
7.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$489 โ‚ฌ422
$474 MX$8,968
3.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,855 โ‚ฌ1,601
$1,653 MX$31.2K
12.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,880 โ‚ฌ1,623
$1,202 MX$22.7K
56.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,930 โ‚ฌ2,529
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-4.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,220 โ‚ฌ1,917
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-70.51%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
El Medano
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$792 MX$15K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.5
11.42
-69.35%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for El Medano: October 26, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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