Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Latacunga and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Latacunga: $844 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Latacunga
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Latacunga Living Index
58

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

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Latacunga

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$844

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $844 per month in Latacunga vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Latacunga $844
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,324 per month in Latacunga vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Latacunga $1,324
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,803 per month in Latacunga vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Latacunga $1,803
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Latacunga is about 30% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Latacunga and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Latacunga 38% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.56 $2.56

$10.92 MX$205

-76.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.74 $27.74

$43.37 MX$814

-36.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 $9.04

$11.78 MX$221

-23.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 $2.83

$3.81 MX$71.5

-25.72%

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

$0.92 $0.92

$1.28 MX$24.07

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

$0.78 MX$14.70

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.17 MX$59.5

-3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 $4.29

$4.93 MX$92.7

-12.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.41 MX$26.40

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.22 MX$41.62

-10.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.42 MX$26.61

-28.17%

Eggs

$1.76 $1.76

$2.52 MX$47.36

-30.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$7.26 MX$136

-30.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$7.70 MX$144

-34.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 $9.27

$12.69 MX$238

-26.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.78 MX$52.3

-47.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.37 MX$25.68

-16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.55 MX$47.89

-61.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.12 MX$39.86

-57.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.94 MX$36.39

-47.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.89 MX$35.41

-48.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.15 MX$21.53

-58.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.18 MX$22.13

-15.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 $5.97

$4.30 MX$80.6

38.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 $10.18

$9.95 MX$187

2.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.58 MX$29.73

-6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.67 MX$50.1

-16.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.55 MX$10.39

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 $1.51

$4.97 MX$93.3

-69.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$3.33 MX$62.5

-46.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.11 $12.11

$5.36 MX$101

125.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 $0.63

$1.44 MX$27.11

-56.25%

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

$22.6K $22.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

9.35%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

32.66%

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

$34.48 $34.48

$84.8 MX$1,592

-59.33%

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

$14.78 $14.78

$23.41 MX$439

-36.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.63 $25.63

$28.66 MX$538

-10.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.18 $29.18

$57.1 MX$1,071

-48.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 $16.01

$28.91 MX$543

-44.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 $7.54

$5.14 MX$96.5

46.69%

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

$371 $371

$207 MX$3,878

79.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,698 $5,698

$3,927 MX$73.7K

45.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 $65.1

$43.35 MX$814

50.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.22 $41.22

$41.44 MX$778

-0.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$74.2 MX$1,393

65.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 $91.5

$89.3 MX$1,676

2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 $427

$980 MX$18.4K

-56.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 $273

$381 MX$7,150

-28.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$804 $804

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-52.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 $499

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-53.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-12.66%

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

Last update for Latacunga: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Latacunga

$273 32.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 39.3% $107

Groceries & Markets

Latacunga

$185 21.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Latacunga

$144 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.7% $33

Eating Out

Latacunga

$111 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 82.2% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Latacunga

$75 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 82.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Latacunga

$44 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 52.1% $23

Getting Around

Latacunga

$12 * 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 328% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $427 in Latacunga versus $980 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 $28 in Latacunga versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $255 – making Latacunga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Latacunga

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:21 12:21 AM

Same time as Latacunga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,127

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Latacunga Playa del Carmen 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Latacunga
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $844 in Latacunga, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Latacunga comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,267 per month in Latacunga 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 Latacunga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $844 in Latacunga and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Latacunga about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $371 per month in Latacunga and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Latacunga, where all-in costs run around $844, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Latacunga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $844 in Latacunga to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.