Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isabela and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,258 in Isabela, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. The total is higher in Isabela despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index
57

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

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Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,258

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,258 in Isabela versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Isabela $1,258
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,974 in Isabela versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Isabela $1,974
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,690 in Isabela versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Isabela $2,690
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Isabela is roughly 5% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Isabela 7% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.01 $19.01

$10.67 MX$201

78.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 $81.5

$43.80 MX$824

86.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 $8.95

$11.79 MX$222

-24.09%

Cappuccino

$3.62 $3.62

$3.79 MX$71.2

-4.49%

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

$1.91 $1.91

$1.30 MX$24.41

46.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.83 MX$15.69

81.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.15 MX$59.2

-4.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.93 MX$92.9

3.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.41 MX$26.51

39.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.20 MX$41.32

27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.47 MX$27.71

-17.69%

Eggs

$2.95 $2.95

$2.50 MX$46.99

18.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 $10.82

$7.29 MX$137

48.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$7.95 MX$150

-18.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.50 $13.50

$12.86 MX$242

4.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.90 MX$54.5

50.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.38 MX$26.03

89.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.49 MX$46.88

96.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.03 MX$38.20

132.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.02 MX$38.11

90.59%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.90 MX$35.82

114.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.14 MX$21.54

208.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.24 MX$23.32

32.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$4.27 MX$80.4

175.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.43 $15.43

$9.81 MX$185

57.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.59 MX$29.85

88.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.75 MX$51.7

44.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$4.76 MX$89.6

-48.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.25 MX$61.1

-52.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.55 $41.55

$5.39 MX$101

670.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.53 MX$28.76

-42.48%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$21.2K MX$399.2K

63.93%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

20.75%

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

$315 $315

$83.5 MX$1,571

277.08%

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

$68.8 $68.8

$23.19 MX$436

196.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$27.61 MX$520

154.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$10.38 $10.38

$5.00 MX$94.1

107.60%

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

$837 $837

$207 MX$3,897

304.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

142.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 $56.7

$43.45 MX$818

30.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 $61.7

$42.54 MX$801

44.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$72.8 MX$1,369

50.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$88.4 MX$1,663

29.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

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 Isabela: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isabela

$454 36.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 70.4% $320

Groceries & Markets

Isabela

$358 28.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 28% $100

Eating Out

Isabela

$261 20.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 23.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Isabela

$154 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 27.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Isabela

$21 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 220% $46

Getting Around

Isabela

$10 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 396% $40

Accommodation & Living

Isabela

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $81 in Isabela vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Isabela

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

1 h behind Isabela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Isabela Playa del Carmen 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Isabela
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Isabela. 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 $1,887 in Isabela and $1,804 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.

Childcare runs $837 in Isabela versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $81 in Isabela. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.