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

🙂 Solo nomad: Lima is 18.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 21.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Lima is 23.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 31.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.14 PEN 14.04
$11.85 MX$209
-65.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.95 PEN 115
$42.16 MX$744
-19.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.04 PEN 23.85
$10.75 MX$190
-34.51%
Cappuccino
$2.65 PEN 8.99
$3.47 MX$61.3
-23.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 PEN 3.32
$1.45 MX$25.65
-32.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 PEN 2.24
$0.90 MX$15.93
-26.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 PEN 7.32
$3.05 MX$53.9
-29.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 PEN 13.15
$4.42 MX$77.9
-12.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 PEN 4.84
$1.37 MX$24.17
4.38%
White Bread (500g)
$2.61 PEN 8.84
$1.87 MX$33.05
39.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 PEN 4.40
$1.54 MX$27.25
-15.58%
Eggs
$2.83 PEN 9.58
$2.50 MX$44.18
13.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.14 PEN 27.60
$8.61 MX$152
-5.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.57 PEN 18.88
$8.63 MX$152
-35.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.55 PEN 35.76
$11.02 MX$195
-4.26%
Apples (1kg)
$1.97 PEN 6.69
$2.75 MX$48.53
-28.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 PEN 3.65
$1.43 MX$25.21
-24.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.15 PEN 3.88
$1.87 MX$33.05
-38.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 PEN 4.26
$2.17 MX$38.26
-41.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 PEN 3.50
$1.88 MX$33.23
-45.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 PEN 3.42
$2.25 MX$39.65
-55.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.88 PEN 3.00
$1.07 MX$18.85
-17.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 PEN 3.14
$1.07 MX$18.95
-13.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.54 PEN 18.77
$4.15 MX$73.3
33.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.84 PEN 29.98
$10.34 MX$182
-14.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 PEN 5.82
$1.68 MX$29.64
2.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 PEN 10.36
$2.48 MX$43.84
23.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 PEN 2.30
$0.55 MX$9.80
23.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.85 PEN 105
$26.53 MX$468
16.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 PEN 11.62
$3.22 MX$56.8
6.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 PEN 7.30
$2.48 MX$43.80
-13.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 PEN 27.81
$3.11 MX$54.9
163.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 PEN 4.57
$1.26 MX$22.16
7.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7K PEN 66.8K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-35.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K PEN 81.6K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
0.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.1 PEN 194
$82.5 MX$1,456
-30.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.62 PEN 42.79
$22.29 MX$393
-43.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.06 PEN 81.6
$30.02 MX$530
-19.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.04 PEN 102
$51.4 MX$908
-41.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.54 PEN 62.9
$18.29 MX$323
1.37%
Cinema Ticket
$6.75 PEN 22.87
$4.98 MX$88.0
35.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$222 PEN 754
$200 MX$3,530
11.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,031 PEN 27.2K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
51.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.1 PEN 170
$35.71 MX$630
40.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.94 PEN 122
$39.56 MX$698
-9.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.2 PEN 302
$80.6 MX$1,422
10.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.8 PEN 301
$88.3 MX$1,559
0.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$607 PEN 2,058
$969 MX$17.1K
-37.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$351 PEN 1,191
$482 MX$8,511
-27.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,022 PEN 3,464
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-35.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$631 PEN 2,139
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-46.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,251 PEN 7,631
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-44.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,513 PEN 5,128
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-76.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 PEN 2,211
$756 MX$13.4K
-13.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.11
11.42
-11.47%

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

Last update for Lima: March 2, 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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