Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manta and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Manta: $670 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Manta
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Manta Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Manta

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$670

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $670 in Manta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Manta $670
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Manta versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Manta $1,152
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,634 in Manta versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Manta $1,634
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Manta costs roughly 44% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manta 51% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 $3.04

$10.92 MX$204

-72.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 $51.9

$43.37 MX$808

19.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 $5.18

$11.78 MX$220

-56.03%

Cappuccino

$2.81 $2.81

$3.81 MX$71.0

-26.25%

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

$0.48 $0.48

$1.28 MX$23.90

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 $0.42

$0.78 MX$14.59

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.17 MX$59.0

-7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$4.93 MX$92.0

-21.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.41 MX$26.22

-30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.22 MX$41.33

-9.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.42 MX$26.42

-30.99%

Eggs

$2.11 $2.11

$2.52 MX$47.03

-16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$7.26 MX$135

-57.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$7.70 MX$143

-60.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$12.69 MX$237

-45.78%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.78 MX$51.9

-65.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.37 MX$25.50

-47.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 $0.73

$2.55 MX$47.55

-71.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.12 MX$39.58

-63.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.94 MX$36.13

-74.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.89 MX$35.16

-74.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.15 MX$21.37

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.18 MX$21.98

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 $4.02

$4.30 MX$80.1

-6.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$9.95 MX$185

-31.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.58 MX$29.52

-36.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.67 MX$49.79

-16.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 $0.50

$0.55 MX$10.31

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 $1.79

$4.97 MX$92.6

-63.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$3.33 MX$62.1

-46.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.28 $9.28

$5.36 MX$99.8

73.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.44 MX$26.92

-48.61%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

9.87%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

29.94%

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

$93.6 $93.6

$84.8 MX$1,581

10.33%

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

$11.20 $11.20

$23.41 MX$436

-52.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.03 $26.03

$28.66 MX$534

-9.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.90 $19.90

$57.1 MX$1,063

-65.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

$28.91 MX$539

22.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 $5.10

$5.14 MX$95.8

-0.78%

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

$370 $370

$207 MX$3,851

79.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,708 $5,708

$3,927 MX$73.2K

45.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$43.35 MX$808

27.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$41.44 MX$772

-3.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 $99.3

$74.2 MX$1,383

33.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.1 $62.1

$89.3 MX$1,664

-30.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 $306

$980 MX$18.3K

-68.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 $137

$381 MX$7,099

-63.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 $916

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-46.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 $337

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-68.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$478 $478

$735 MX$13.7K

-34.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.45

-12.23%

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

Last update for Manta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manta

$144 21.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 77.3% $111

Accommodation & Living

Manta

$137 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 177% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manta

$131 19.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 4.6% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Manta

$116 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.3% $3.8

Eating Out

Manta

$100 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 103% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Manta

$30 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 124% $37

Getting Around

Manta

$13 * 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 300% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $306 in Manta and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 54% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52 in Manta vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $144 vs $255, with Manta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Manta

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

Same time as Manta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,553

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manta Playa del Carmen 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Manta
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

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

Manta is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Manta. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $306 in Manta versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $370 in Manta versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $52 in Manta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $670 in Manta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manta but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Manta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Manta wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.