Cost of Living Comparison Between Lac and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Lac and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Lac is 1.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 14.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Lac is 0.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 28.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lac
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.60 ALL 780
$11.61 MX$200
-17.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.47 ALL 2,963
$42.75 MX$738
-14.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.18 ALL 584
$10.60 MX$183
-32.26%
Cappuccino
$1.89 ALL 153
$3.59 MX$62.0
-47.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ALL 129
$1.45 MX$25.08
9.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ALL 69.4
$0.90 MX$15.50
-5.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.38 ALL 194
$3.03 MX$52.4
-21.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 ALL 260
$4.56 MX$78.8
-29.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lac
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 ALL 160
$1.45 MX$25.07
35.86%
White Bread (500g)
$0.85 ALL 68.8
$1.83 MX$31.55
-53.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 ALL 163
$1.61 MX$27.77
24.84%
Eggs
$3.06 ALL 249
$2.54 MX$43.82
20.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.50 ALL 772
$8.54 MX$148
11.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 ALL 639
$8.47 MX$146
-7.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.15 ALL 1,068
$10.86 MX$188
21.09%
Apples (1kg)
$1.73 ALL 140
$2.73 MX$47.13
-36.63%
Banana (1kg)
$2.41 ALL 196
$1.49 MX$25.77
61.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 ALL 113
$1.94 MX$33.55
-28.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.39 ALL 113
$2.16 MX$37.38
-35.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.01 ALL 81.7
$1.85 MX$31.88
-45.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 ALL 95.6
$2.19 MX$37.80
-46.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 ALL 93.6
$1.07 MX$18.52
7.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ALL 62.2
$1.08 MX$18.71
-28.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.08 ALL 332
$4.06 MX$70.1
0.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.07 ALL 818
$10.46 MX$181
-3.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 ALL 142
$1.65 MX$28.56
6.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 ALL 98.5
$2.55 MX$44.01
-52.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Lac
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 ALL 37.08
$0.56 MX$9.60
-17.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.19 ALL 1,559
$26.20 MX$453
-26.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.60 ALL 292
$3.14 MX$54.2
14.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.17 ALL 257
$2.37 MX$40.96
33.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.70 ALL 1,438
$3.24 MX$56.0
446.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 ALL 172
$1.31 MX$22.70
61.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K ALL 2.8M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
14.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K ALL 2.1M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
7.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lac
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.2 ALL 5,544
$83.1 MX$1,436
-17.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.55 ALL 1,426
$22.15 MX$383
-20.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.16 ALL 1,313
$29.37 MX$507
-44.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lac
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.3 ALL 4,492
$51.2 MX$884
8.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.49 ALL 2,071
$18.69 MX$323
36.38%
Cinema Ticket
$8.18 ALL 665
$4.89 MX$84.4
67.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lac
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$94.8 ALL 7,701
$199 MX$3,431
-52.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lac
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.36 ALL 3,766
$35.93 MX$621
29.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.8 ALL 4,368
$39.39 MX$680
36.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.7 ALL 7,692
$80.3 MX$1,387
17.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 ALL 11.4K
$87.6 MX$1,512
60.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lac
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$457 ALL 37.1K
$963 MX$16.6K
-52.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$338 ALL 27.5K
$482 MX$8,326
-29.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$600 ALL 48.7K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-63.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$437 ALL 35.5K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-63.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,691 ALL 137.4K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-57.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,326 ALL 107.7K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-79.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lac
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$726 MX$12.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
11.42
-64.97%

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

Last update for Lac: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

Lac vs other spots: cost of living compared

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