Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masaya and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $823 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
Learn more

Masaya Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $823 per month in Masaya vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Masaya $823
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,283 per month in Masaya vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Masaya $1,283
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,744 per month in Masaya vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Masaya $1,744
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Masaya is about 32% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Masaya and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Masaya 40% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 NIO 363

$10.92 MX$204

-9.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.43 NIO 1,261

$43.37 MX$808

-20.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 NIO 283

$11.78 MX$220

-34.38%

Cappuccino

$2.54 NIO 93.0

$3.81 MX$71.0

-33.33%

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

$0.91 NIO 33.22

$1.28 MX$23.90

-28.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.84

$0.78 MX$14.59

-6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.0

$3.17 MX$59.0

-51.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 NIO 83.6

$4.93 MX$92.0

-53.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 NIO 44.66

$1.41 MX$26.22

-13.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 NIO 87.8

$2.22 MX$41.33

8.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 NIO 65.8

$1.42 MX$26.42

26.76%

Eggs

$2.38 NIO 87.3

$2.52 MX$47.03

-5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 NIO 419

$7.26 MX$135

57.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 NIO 233

$7.70 MX$143

-17.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 NIO 281

$12.69 MX$237

-39.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 NIO 145

$2.78 MX$51.9

42.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 NIO 21.03

$1.37 MX$25.50

-58.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$2.55 MX$47.55

-27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 NIO 92.0

$2.12 MX$39.58

18.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 NIO 143

$1.94 MX$36.13

101.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 NIO 82.0

$1.89 MX$35.16

18.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 39.98

$1.15 MX$21.37

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 NIO 38.67

$1.18 MX$21.98

-10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 NIO 103

$4.30 MX$80.1

-34.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 NIO 544

$9.95 MX$185

49.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 NIO 53.5

$1.58 MX$29.52

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.8

$2.67 MX$49.79

-18.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 NIO 58.7

$4.97 MX$92.6

-67.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 NIO 58.2

$3.33 MX$62.1

-52.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 NIO 251

$5.36 MX$99.8

27.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 NIO 50.5

$1.44 MX$26.92

-4.17%

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

$22.7K NIO 832.1K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

9.94%

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

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

12.48%

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

$154 NIO 5,654

$84.8 MX$1,581

82.05%

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

$19.83 NIO 726

$23.41 MX$436

-15.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.97 NIO 1,171

$28.66 MX$534

11.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 NIO 332

$5.14 MX$95.8

76.26%

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

$240 NIO 8,800

$207 MX$3,851

16.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

52.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NIO 2,184

$43.35 MX$808

37.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 NIO 2,369

$41.44 MX$772

56.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,504

$74.2 MX$1,383

65.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 NIO 5,379

$89.3 MX$1,664

64.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

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)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

11.45

4.10%

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

Last update for Masaya: October 24, 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

Masaya

$260 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.9% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masaya

$206 25.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 33.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Masaya

$177 21.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 37% $66

Eating Out

Masaya

$152 18.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 33.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Masaya

$18 * 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 272% $49

Getting Around

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 429% $41

Accommodation & Living

Masaya

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Masaya versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Masaya vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Masaya

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

1 h ahead of Masaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,835

149,923

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 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 NIO in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Masaya Playa del Carmen 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Masaya
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,234 per month in Masaya and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Masaya and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Masaya and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $823 in Masaya to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.