Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Luque and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Luque: $1,030 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Luque
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Luque Living Index
58

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

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Luque

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,030

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,030 per month in Luque vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Luque $1,030
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,556 per month in Luque vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Luque $1,556
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Luque vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Luque $2,082
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Luque is about 14% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Luque and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Luque 24% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.22 ₲24.5K

$10.92 MX$204

-61.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.94 ₲202.8K

$43.37 MX$808

-19.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 ₲30.7K

$11.78 MX$220

-55.01%

Cappuccino

$3.50 ₲20.3K

$3.81 MX$71.0

-8.14%

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

$1.09 ₲6,354

$1.28 MX$23.90

-14.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₲3,291

$0.78 MX$14.59

-26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 ₲12.1K

$3.17 MX$59.0

-34.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₲10.4K

$4.93 MX$92.0

-63.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 ₲7,618

$1.41 MX$26.22

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ₲8,552

$2.22 MX$41.33

-33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ₲7,949

$1.42 MX$26.42

-3.52%

Eggs

$2.14 ₲12.4K

$2.52 MX$47.03

-15.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 ₲57.1K

$7.26 MX$135

35.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 ₲31.2K

$7.70 MX$143

-30.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ₲58.7K

$12.69 MX$237

-20.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ₲17.0K

$2.78 MX$51.9

5.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ₲7,600

$1.37 MX$25.50

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ₲7,151

$2.55 MX$47.55

-51.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₲14.0K

$2.12 MX$39.58

13.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 ₲8,170

$1.94 MX$36.13

-27.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ₲7,867

$1.89 MX$35.16

-28.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ₲5,282

$1.15 MX$21.37

-20.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₲4,126

$1.18 MX$21.98

-39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 ₲13.9K

$4.30 MX$80.1

-44.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.99 ₲52.1K

$9.95 MX$185

-9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₲7,969

$1.58 MX$29.52

-13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₲10.3K

$2.67 MX$49.79

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 ₲3,871

$0.55 MX$10.31

21.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ₲8,411

$4.97 MX$92.6

-70.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₲9,138

$3.33 MX$62.1

-52.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.37 ₲60.2K

$5.36 MX$99.8

93.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₲7,454

$1.44 MX$26.92

-11.11%

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

$17.7K ₲102.5M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-14.53%

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

$30.4K ₲176.5M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

29.62%

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

$26.26 ₲152.4K

$84.8 MX$1,581

-69.03%

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

$17.13 ₲99.4K

$23.41 MX$436

-26.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.01 ₲121.9K

$28.66 MX$534

-26.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.12 ₲279.2K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-15.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$8.88 ₲51.5K

$5.14 MX$95.8

72.76%

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

$188 ₲1.1M

$207 MX$3,851

-9.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,851 ₲28.2M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

23.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ₲369.1K

$43.35 MX$808

46.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₲329.2K

$41.44 MX$772

36.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₲624.0K

$74.2 MX$1,383

44.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 ₲411.6K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 ₲2.6M

$980 MX$18.3K

-54.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 ₲2.5M

$381 MX$7,099

11.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 ₲8.8M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-11.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 ₲3.8M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-39.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,248 ₲7.2M

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-68.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₲2.8M

$735 MX$13.7K

-33.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

11.45

-8.30%

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

Last update for Luque: October 25, 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

Luque

$426 41.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 10.5% $45

Groceries & Markets

Luque

$216 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 18.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Luque

$134 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16.9% $23

Eating Out

Luque

$112 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 80.2% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Luque

$66 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 2.2% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Luque

$64 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 113% $72

Getting Around

Luque

$12 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 321% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $442 in Luque 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.

Salaries run about 50% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Luque versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $255 – making Luque the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Luque

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

10:45 10:45 AM

2 h behind Luque

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

224,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5,803 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD). 1 EUR = 6,459 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Luque Playa del Carmen 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Luque
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,545 per month in Luque 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 Luque, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $442 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,030 in Luque and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 17%.

Kindergarten costs $188 per month in Luque and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,030 in Luque and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Luque – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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