Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: La Serena is 12.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 14.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: La Serena is 2.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 16.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
La Serena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.97 CLP 7,239
$11.85 MX$211
-32.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.3 CLP 46.6K
$42.16 MX$750
21.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.63 CLP 7,844
$10.75 MX$191
-19.72%
Cappuccino
$2.99 CLP 2,714
$3.47 MX$61.8
-13.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 CLP 1,054
$1.45 MX$25.85
-20.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 CLP 653
$0.90 MX$16.06
-20.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.10 CLP 1,910
$3.05 MX$54.3
-31.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 CLP 3,752
$4.42 MX$78.6
-6.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
La Serena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 CLP 1,167
$1.37 MX$24.36
-6.57%
White Bread (500g)
$2.57 CLP 2,333
$1.87 MX$33.31
37.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 CLP 1,441
$1.54 MX$27.46
3.25%
Eggs
$3.89 CLP 3,537
$2.50 MX$44.53
55.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.96 CLP 11.8K
$8.61 MX$153
50.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.08 CLP 5,525
$8.63 MX$154
-29.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.21 CLP 12.0K
$11.02 MX$196
19.87%
Apples (1kg)
$1.92 CLP 1,743
$2.75 MX$48.91
-30.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.86 CLP 1,691
$1.43 MX$25.41
30.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.39 CLP 1,262
$1.87 MX$33.32
-25.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 CLP 1,392
$2.17 MX$38.56
-29.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 CLP 1,080
$1.88 MX$33.50
-36.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.32 CLP 1,204
$2.25 MX$39.96
-41.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 CLP 977
$1.07 MX$18.99
0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 CLP 810
$1.07 MX$19.10
-16.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.25 CLP 4,772
$4.15 MX$73.9
26.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.80 CLP 5,266
$10.34 MX$184
-43.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 CLP 914
$1.68 MX$29.87
-39.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 CLP 2,022
$2.48 MX$44.19
-10.48%
🚌 Getting Around
La Serena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.11 CLP 1,007
$0.55 MX$9.87
101.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.05 CLP 33.7K
$26.53 MX$472
39.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.78 CLP 712
$3.22 MX$57.2
-75.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 CLP 1,943
$2.48 MX$44.15
-13.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.17 CLP 12.0K
$3.11 MX$55.3
323.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 CLP 1,363
$1.26 MX$22.34
19.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K CLP 18.9M
$30.7K MX$545.4K
-32.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$13.1K CLP 11.9M
$24.0K MX$427.6K
-45.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
La Serena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.3 CLP 83.9K
$82.5 MX$1,467
11.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.56 CLP 10.5K
$22.29 MX$396
-48.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.59 CLP 20.5K
$30.02 MX$534
-24.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
La Serena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.65 CLP 35.1K
$51.4 MX$915
-24.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.22 CLP 19.3K
$18.29 MX$325
16.02%
Cinema Ticket
$8.77 CLP 7,970
$4.98 MX$88.7
76.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
La Serena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$444 CLP 403.7K
$200 MX$3,558
122.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,304 MX$94.4K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
La Serena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.50 CLP 41.3K
$35.71 MX$635
27.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.0 CLP 59.9K
$39.56 MX$704
66.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.4 CLP 89.4K
$80.6 MX$1,433
22.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 CLP 101.1K
$88.3 MX$1,571
25.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
La Serena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$364 CLP 330.8K
$969 MX$17.2K
-62.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$291 CLP 264.3K
$482 MX$8,579
-39.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,042 CLP 947.3K
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-34.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$688 CLP 625.1K
$1,184 MX$21.1K
-41.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,243 CLP 2.0M
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-44.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,447 CLP 1.3M
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-77.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
La Serena
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$779 CLP 707.5K
$756 MX$13.5K
2.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.5
11.42
-43.08%

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

Last update for La Serena: February 28, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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