Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mayaguez and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,294 in Mayaguez, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Mayaguez despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Mayaguez
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Mayaguez Living Index
58

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

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Mayaguez

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,294

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Mayaguez versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Mayaguez $1,294
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,001 in Mayaguez versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Mayaguez $2,001
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,709 in Mayaguez versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Mayaguez $2,709
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Mayaguez is roughly 7% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mayaguez 5% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.98 $12.98

$10.92 MX$205

18.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 $68.5

$43.37 MX$814

57.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 $9.18

$11.78 MX$221

-22.07%

Cappuccino

$3.51 $3.51

$3.81 MX$71.5

-7.87%

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

$1.24 $1.24

$1.28 MX$24.07

-3.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.78 MX$14.70

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.17 MX$59.5

-3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 $4.27

$4.93 MX$92.7

-13.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.41 MX$26.40

55.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.22 MX$41.62

61.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.42 MX$26.61

64.79%

Eggs

$7.46 $7.46

$2.52 MX$47.36

196.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 $12.64

$7.26 MX$136

74.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 $9.47

$7.70 MX$144

22.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.38 $13.38

$12.69 MX$238

5.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.78 MX$52.3

76.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.37 MX$25.68

94.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.55 MX$47.89

89.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.12 MX$39.86

123.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.94 MX$36.39

89.69%

Onion (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$1.89 MX$35.41

113.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.15 MX$21.53

206.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.18 MX$22.13

38.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.03 $12.03

$4.30 MX$80.6

179.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.79 $15.79

$9.95 MX$187

58.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.58 MX$29.73

87.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.67 MX$50.1

52.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 $2.57

$4.97 MX$93.3

-48.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.33 MX$62.5

-53.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.63 $42.63

$5.36 MX$101

695.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.44 MX$27.11

-33.33%

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

$34.1K $34.1K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

65.07%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

16.66%

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

$323 $323

$84.8 MX$1,592

280.49%

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

$68.6 $68.6

$23.41 MX$439

193.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$28.66 MX$538

142.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.80 $27.80

$57.1 MX$1,071

-51.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 $10.48

$5.14 MX$96.5

103.89%

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

$837 $837

$207 MX$3,878

305.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

222.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$43.35 MX$814

29.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 $61.0

$41.44 MX$778

47.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$74.2 MX$1,393

49.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$89.3 MX$1,676

29.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Mayaguez: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mayaguez

$461 35.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70.3% $324

Groceries & Markets

Mayaguez

$413 31.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.4% $159

Eating Out

Mayaguez

$207 16%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 2% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Mayaguez

$155 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Mayaguez

$49 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 38.1% $19

Getting Around

Mayaguez

$10 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 392% $40

Accommodation & Living

Mayaguez

- * 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

Dining out: $68 in Mayaguez vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Mayaguez

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

1 h behind Mayaguez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,566

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mayaguez Playa del Carmen 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mayaguez
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,941 in Mayaguez and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $837 in Mayaguez 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 $68 in Mayaguez. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.