Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fajardo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,241 in Fajardo, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. The total is higher in Fajardo despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index
58

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

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Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,241 in Fajardo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Fajardo $1,241
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,954 in Fajardo versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Fajardo $1,954
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,667 in Fajardo versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Fajardo $2,667
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Fajardo is roughly 3% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fajardo 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.80 $9.80

$10.92 MX$205

-10.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 $82.1

$43.37 MX$815

89.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.44 $9.44

$11.78 MX$221

-19.86%

Cappuccino

$3.66 $3.66

$3.81 MX$71.6

-3.94%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$1.28 MX$24.10

50.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.78 MX$14.71

93.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.17 MX$59.5

-6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 $5.11

$4.93 MX$92.7

3.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.41 MX$26.43

49.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.22 MX$41.66

66.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.42 MX$26.64

72.54%

Eggs

$7.46 $7.46

$2.52 MX$47.41

196.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.26 MX$137

70.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 $9.45

$7.70 MX$145

22.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$12.69 MX$239

4.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.78 MX$52.3

83.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.37 MX$25.71

88.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.55 MX$47.94

86.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.12 MX$39.90

121.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.94 MX$36.43

91.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.89 MX$35.44

106.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.15 MX$21.55

195.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.18 MX$22.16

36.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.33 $11.33

$4.30 MX$80.7

163.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 $15.50

$9.95 MX$187

55.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.58 MX$29.76

95.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.67 MX$50.2

51.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 $2.47

$4.97 MX$93.4

-50.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.33 MX$62.6

-54.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.58 $41.58

$5.36 MX$101

675.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.44 MX$27.14

-13.89%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

67.40%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

20.58%

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

$316 $316

$84.8 MX$1,594

272.86%

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

$70.6 $70.6

$23.41 MX$440

201.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 $70.0

$28.66 MX$539

144.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$10.47 $10.47

$5.14 MX$96.6

103.70%

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

$835 $835

$207 MX$3,882

304.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

221.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$43.35 MX$815

28.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 $61.8

$41.44 MX$779

49.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$74.2 MX$1,394

44.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$89.3 MX$1,677

28.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 $1,007

$980 MX$18.4K

2.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Fajardo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fajardo

$457 36.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70% $320

Groceries & Markets

Fajardo

$412 33.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.1% $157

Eating Out

Fajardo

$189 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 6.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Fajardo

$152 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 26.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 222% $46

Getting Around

Fajardo

$10 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 402% $40

Accommodation & Living

Fajardo

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,007 in Fajardo and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82 in Fajardo vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h behind Fajardo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,647

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fajardo Playa del Carmen 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Fajardo
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Fajardo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,862 in Fajardo 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: $1,007 in Fajardo versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Fajardo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,241 per month in Fajardo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.