Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Leon and in Playa del Carmen: $1,218 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index
59

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

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Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,218

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,218 per month in Leon vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Leon $1,218
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,978 per month in Leon vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Leon $1,978
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,737 per month in Leon vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Leon $2,737
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Leon costs about 1% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Leon and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Leon 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.77 MX$199

$10.86 MX$201

-0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 MX$1,000

$44.21 MX$817

22.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 MX$157

$11.76 MX$217

-27.98%

Cappuccino

$4.18 MX$77.2

$3.68 MX$68.0

13.59%

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

$1.54 MX$28.52

$1.34 MX$24.79

14.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.78

$0.82 MX$15.24

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 MX$53.9

$3.06 MX$56.6

-4.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MX$70.7

$4.94 MX$91.2

-22.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.44

$1.47 MX$27.17

15.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.22 MX$40.95

26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.32

$1.48 MX$27.32

18.24%

Eggs

$3.36 MX$62.1

$2.49 MX$45.99

34.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 MX$134

$7.52 MX$139

-3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 MX$142

$7.96 MX$147

-3.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.92 MX$202

$12.57 MX$232

-13.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 MX$46.24

$2.78 MX$51.3

-10.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MX$24.38

$1.43 MX$26.37

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.06

$2.62 MX$48.37

-31.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.31

$2.14 MX$39.49

-28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.89

$2.02 MX$37.38

-0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.47

$1.99 MX$36.74

4.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 MX$24.49

$1.14 MX$21.01

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 MX$13.68

$1.20 MX$22.18

-38.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.95 MX$128

$4.26 MX$78.7

63.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 MX$252

$10.02 MX$185

36.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 MX$41.50

$1.54 MX$28.41

46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 MX$66.5

$2.66 MX$49.17

35.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.63

$0.53 MX$9.73

49.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.79 MX$661

$27.51 MX$508

30.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 MX$50.6

$4.90 MX$90.6

-44.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.43 MX$63.5

-18.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 MX$275

$5.38 MX$99.4

176.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.46

$1.45 MX$26.76

2.76%

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

$24.4K MX$451.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

15.49%

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

$23.5K MX$433.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

1.95%

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

$21.39 MX$395

$85.4 MX$1,577

-74.94%

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

$41.21 MX$761

$23.46 MX$434

75.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$28.43 MX$525

100.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.3 MX$1,114

$62.2 MX$1,149

-3.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.46 MX$618

$28.68 MX$530

16.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 MX$118

$5.10 MX$94.3

25.69%

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

$184 MX$3,403

$201 MX$3,715

-8.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,720 MX$68.7K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-5.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MX$1,032

$44.39 MX$820

25.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.0 MX$1,183

$41.35 MX$764

54.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 MX$1,822

$72.7 MX$1,344

35.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,135

$89.6 MX$1,656

28.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 MX$9,509

$979 MX$18.1K

-47.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 MX$6,673

$373 MX$6,887

-3.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 MX$14.2K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-54.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 MX$12.7K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-37.16%

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)

$528 MX$9,757

$738 MX$13.6K

-28.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

11.45

1.31%

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

Last update for Leon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leon

$361 29.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 3.2% $12

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$264 21.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 2% $5.2

Eating Out

Leon

$195 16%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 2.6% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$150 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$120 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 14.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$73 6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Leon

$56 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 7% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $515 in Leon 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.

Salaries run about 40% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Leon versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Leon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

1 h ahead of Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,579,803

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Leon Playa del Carmen 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Leon
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

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

Leon costs about 1% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,828 per month in Leon 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Leon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Leon and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Leon at $1,218. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,218 in Leon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Leon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.