Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huancayo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $488 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
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Huancayo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$488

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Huancayo vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Huancayo $488
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $825 per month in Huancayo vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Huancayo $825
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,162 per month in Huancayo vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Huancayo $1,162
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Huancayo is about 59% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Huancayo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Huancayo 64% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 PEN 7.80

$10.86 MX$201

-79.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$44.21 MX$817

-21.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.86 PEN 23.54

$11.76 MX$217

-41.67%

Cappuccino

$3.29 PEN 11.31

$3.68 MX$68.0

-10.60%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.83

$1.34 MX$24.79

-16.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PEN 2.20

$0.82 MX$15.24

-21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PEN 8.91

$3.06 MX$56.6

-15.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.73

$4.94 MX$91.2

-13.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 PEN 3.93

$1.47 MX$27.17

-21.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 PEN 3.60

$2.22 MX$40.95

-52.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.48 MX$27.32

-12.84%

Eggs

$2.41 PEN 8.26

$2.49 MX$45.99

-3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 PEN 17.64

$7.52 MX$139

-31.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.97 PEN 20.49

$7.96 MX$147

-25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.20 PEN 17.87

$12.57 MX$232

-58.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 PEN 4.86

$2.78 MX$51.3

-49.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.53

$1.43 MX$26.37

-27.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 PEN 1.90

$2.62 MX$48.37

-79.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 PEN 4.10

$2.14 MX$39.49

-44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$2.02 MX$37.38

-57.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.05

$1.99 MX$36.74

-55.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 PEN 1.96

$1.14 MX$21.01

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.20 MX$22.18

-25.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.70 PEN 19.57

$4.26 MX$78.7

33.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.09 PEN 17.47

$10.02 MX$185

-49.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 PEN 6.41

$1.54 MX$28.41

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 PEN 10.91

$2.66 MX$49.17

19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 PEN 2.03

$0.53 MX$9.73

11.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.38 PEN 59.7

$27.51 MX$508

-36.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 PEN 6.32

$4.90 MX$90.6

-62.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 PEN 6.88

$3.43 MX$63.5

-41.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 PEN 24.79

$5.38 MX$99.4

34.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 PEN 4.91

$1.45 MX$26.76

-1.38%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

2.73%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

11.69%

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

$34.52 PEN 119

$85.4 MX$1,577

-59.56%

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

$11.76 PEN 40.39

$23.46 MX$434

-49.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.82 PEN 40.59

$28.43 MX$525

-58.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 PEN 25.07

$5.10 MX$94.3

43.14%

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

$182 PEN 624

$201 MX$3,715

-9.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

226.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$44.39 MX$820

21.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 PEN 122

$41.35 MX$764

-14.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 PEN 293

$72.7 MX$1,344

17.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 PEN 275

$89.6 MX$1,656

-10.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$324 PEN 1,112

$979 MX$18.1K

-66.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.45

-21.92%

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

Last update for Huancayo: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Huancayo

$162 33.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 59.3% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Huancayo

$115 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.6% $3

Eating Out

Huancayo

$107 21.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 87.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huancayo

$58 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 136% $79

Getting Around

Huancayo

$32 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 63.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Huancayo

$15 * 3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 396% $58

Accommodation & Living

Huancayo

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $324 in Huancayo versus $979 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Huancayo versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $258 – making Huancayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Huancayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,552

149,923

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Huancayo Playa del Carmen 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Huancayo
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 147% more than Huancayo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Huancayo and $1,806 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 Huancayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $488 in Huancayo and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 147%.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Huancayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Huancayo, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Huancayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Huancayo costs $488 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Huancayo. 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.