Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 10.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 15.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 7.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 5.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.12 MX$232
$11.85 MX$210
10.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 MX$952
$42.16 MX$746
27.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.40 MX$166
$10.75 MX$190
-12.56%
Cappuccino
$3.56 MX$63.0
$3.47 MX$61.5
2.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 MX$28.37
$1.45 MX$25.72
10.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 MX$20.44
$0.90 MX$15.98
27.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.16 MX$55.9
$3.05 MX$54.1
3.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 MX$85.8
$4.42 MX$78.2
9.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 MX$28.92
$1.37 MX$24.24
18.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.73 MX$48.40
$1.87 MX$33.14
45.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.25
$1.54 MX$27.32
22.08%
Eggs
$2.63 MX$46.58
$2.50 MX$44.31
5.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.89 MX$175
$8.61 MX$152
14.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.40 MX$149
$8.63 MX$153
-2.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.63 MX$206
$11.02 MX$195
5.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.97 MX$52.6
$2.75 MX$48.67
8.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 MX$31.59
$1.43 MX$25.28
24.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.06 MX$36.38
$1.87 MX$33.15
10.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 MX$34.96
$2.17 MX$38.37
-9.22%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 MX$36.92
$1.88 MX$33.33
11.17%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 MX$39.99
$2.25 MX$39.76
0.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 MX$25.81
$1.07 MX$18.90
36.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$19.29
$1.07 MX$19.00
1.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.34 MX$76.8
$4.15 MX$73.5
4.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.62 MX$241
$10.34 MX$183
31.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$29.63
$1.68 MX$29.72
-0.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 MX$62.6
$2.48 MX$43.97
42.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 MX$6.37
$0.55 MX$9.82
-34.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.96 MX$336
$26.53 MX$470
-28.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 MX$23.43
$3.22 MX$56.9
-59.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.30 MX$5.33
$2.48 MX$43.93
-87.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.49 MX$97.2
$3.11 MX$55.0
76.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$23.66
$1.26 MX$22.22
6.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K MX$338.3K
$30.7K MX$542.7K
-37.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$420.6K
$24.0K MX$425.5K
-1.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.11 MX$728
$82.5 MX$1,460
-50.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.78 MX$492
$22.29 MX$394
24.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.00 MX$531
$30.02 MX$531
-0.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.5 MX$948
$51.4 MX$911
4.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.13 MX$463
$18.29 MX$324
42.86%
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 MX$111
$4.98 MX$88.2
26.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$439 MX$7,777
$200 MX$3,540
119.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K MX$190.1K
$5,304 MX$93.9K
102.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.1 MX$1,011
$35.71 MX$632
59.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.30 MX$802
$39.56 MX$700
14.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,845
$80.6 MX$1,426
29.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 MX$1,916
$88.3 MX$1,563
22.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 MX$17.6K
$969 MX$17.2K
2.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 MX$11.0K
$482 MX$8,535
29.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,106 MX$37.3K
$1,595 MX$28.2K
32.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,218 MX$21.6K
$1,184 MX$21.0K
2.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,799 MX$67.2K
$4,050 MX$71.7K
-6.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,230 MX$39.5K
$6,522 MX$115.4K
-65.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$19.4K
$756 MX$13.4K
44.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
11.42
-0.70%

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

Last update for Mexico City: 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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