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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Machala is 40.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 49.5% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Machala is 26.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 53.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Machala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.56 $2.56
$11.99 MX$227
-78.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.42 $24.42
$42.47 MX$803
-42.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.55 $6.55
$10.47 MX$198
-37.44%
Cappuccino
$2.63 $2.63
$3.6 MX$68.2
-26.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 $0.73
$1.44 MX$27.16
-49.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 $0.51
$0.89 MX$16.79
-42.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.02 $2.02
$3.09 MX$58.5
-34.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.63 $4.63
$4.58 MX$86.6
1.09%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Machala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.06 $1.06
$1.38 MX$26.04
-23.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.85 MX$34.9
-43.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 $0.97
$1.57 MX$29.68
-38.22%
Eggs
$1.44 $1.44
$2.55 MX$48.3
-43.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.23 $3.23
$8.61 MX$163
-62.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.02 $4.02
$8.54 MX$161
-52.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.62 $4.62
$10.98 MX$208
-57.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.1 $2.1
$2.72 MX$51.4
-22.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.51 MX$28.57
-30.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.72 $0.72
$1.88 MX$35.63
-61.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.04 $1.04
$2.19 MX$41.42
-52.51%
Potato (1kg)
$0.39 $0.39
$1.87 MX$35.3
-79.14%
Onion (1kg)
$0.52 $0.52
$2.19 MX$41.37
-76.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.4 $0.4
$1.07 MX$20.23
-62.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.09 MX$20.64
-5.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.45 $4.45
$3.96 MX$74.9
12.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.45 $7.45
$8.86 MX$167
-15.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 $1.62
$1.72 MX$32.53
-5.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 $2.23
$2.61 MX$49.37
-14.56%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Machala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 $0.34
$0.52 MX$9.74
-34.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.64 $21.64
$26.59 MX$503
-18.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 $1.53
$3.24 MX$61.2
-52.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 $0.98
$2.38 MX$44.94
-58.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.93 $7.93
$3.11 MX$58.7
154.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.61 $0.61
$1.31 MX$24.85
-53.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18K $18K
$30.3K MX$573K
-40.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K $22.3K
$24K MX$453.6K
-7.18%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Machala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.64 $37.64
$84.2 MX$1,592
-55.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.9 $13.9
$22.14 MX$419
-37.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.22 $26.22
$30.14 MX$570
-13.01%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Machala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.15 $42.15
$52 MX$983
-18.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.56 $30.56
$18.72 MX$354
63.25%
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 $5.12
$5.07 MX$95.9
0.99%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Machala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$134 $134
$200 MX$3,787
-32.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,859 $5,859
$5,333 MX$100.8K
9.86%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Machala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.6 $51.6
$35.74 MX$676
44.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.82 $42.82
$39.8 MX$753
7.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.9 $78.9
$79 MX$1,493
-0.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.5 $69.5
$88.4 MX$1,671
-21.35%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Machala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$188 $188
$965 MX$18.3K
-80.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$131 $131
$474 MX$8,968
-72.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$344 $344
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-79.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$264 $264
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-78.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Machala
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$455 $455
$792 MX$15K
-42.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.42
-56.22%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Machala: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.