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

🙂 Solo nomad: Matagalpa is 20.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 32.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Matagalpa is 39.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 43.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Matagalpa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.98 NIO 183
$11.85 MX$212
-57.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.54 NIO 904
$42.16 MX$755
-41.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.17 NIO 264
$10.75 MX$192
-33.30%
Cappuccino
$2.45 NIO 90.3
$3.47 MX$62.2
-29.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 NIO 31.48
$1.45 MX$26.01
-41.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 NIO 16.10
$0.90 MX$16.16
-51.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.18 NIO 43.35
$3.05 MX$54.7
-61.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 NIO 74.1
$4.42 MX$79.1
-54.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Matagalpa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 NIO 43.92
$1.37 MX$24.51
-13.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 NIO 56.8
$1.87 MX$33.51
-17.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 NIO 60.3
$1.54 MX$27.63
6.49%
Eggs
$2.14 NIO 78.9
$2.50 MX$44.81
-14.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$1.90 NIO 70.0
$8.61 MX$154
-77.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.13 NIO 152
$8.63 MX$155
-52.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.67 NIO 246
$11.02 MX$197
-39.47%
Apples (1kg)
$3.91 NIO 144
$2.75 MX$49.22
42.18%
Banana (1kg)
$0.90 NIO 33.27
$1.43 MX$25.56
-37.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 NIO 67.1
$1.87 MX$33.52
-2.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 NIO 79.9
$2.17 MX$38.80
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.13 NIO 41.71
$1.88 MX$33.70
-39.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 NIO 81.9
$2.25 MX$40.21
-1.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 NIO 25.37
$1.07 MX$19.11
-35.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 NIO 36.26
$1.07 MX$19.22
-8.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.62 NIO 96.5
$4.15 MX$74.4
-36.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.10 NIO 372
$10.34 MX$185
-2.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 NIO 45.92
$1.68 MX$30.06
-25.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 NIO 83.7
$2.48 MX$44.46
-8.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Matagalpa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.48 NIO 17.75
$0.55 MX$9.93
-12.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$475
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.89 NIO 32.81
$3.22 MX$57.6
-72.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 NIO 35.47
$2.48 MX$44.42
-61.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.63 NIO 244
$3.11 MX$55.7
113.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 NIO 48.38
$1.26 MX$22.48
3.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.7K NIO 835.3K
$30.7K MX$548.8K
-26.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K NIO 966.4K
$24.0K MX$430.3K
9.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Matagalpa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.9 NIO 1,913
$82.5 MX$1,476
-37.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.89 NIO 622
$22.29 MX$399
-24.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.08 NIO 1,292
$30.02 MX$537
16.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Matagalpa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$51.4 MX$921
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$327
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.20 NIO 302
$4.98 MX$89.2
64.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Matagalpa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$101 NIO 3,707
$200 MX$3,580
-49.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,110 NIO 225.0K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
15.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Matagalpa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$76.1 NIO 2,802
$35.71 MX$639
113.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$71.4 NIO 2,628
$39.56 MX$708
80.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$130 NIO 4,794
$80.6 MX$1,442
61.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 NIO 3,965
$88.3 MX$1,581
21.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Matagalpa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$154 NIO 5,673
$969 MX$17.4K
-84.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$261 NIO 9,601
$482 MX$8,632
-45.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$556 NIO 20.5K
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-65.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$368 NIO 13.6K
$1,184 MX$21.2K
-68.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Matagalpa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$198 NIO 7,306
$756 MX$13.5K
-73.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.25
11.42
-10.25%

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

Last update for Matagalpa: March 1, 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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