Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Minas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Minas: $1,065 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Minas
Learn more

Minas Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Minas

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,065

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,065 per month in Minas vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Minas $1,065
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,730 per month in Minas vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Minas $1,730
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,395 per month in Minas vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Minas $2,395
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Minas is about 11% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Minas and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Minas 21% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.50 UYU 624

$10.67 MX$198

45.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 UYU 2,744

$43.80 MX$813

55.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.93 UYU 601

$11.79 MX$219

26.63%

Cappuccino

$4.35 UYU 175

$3.79 MX$70.3

14.78%

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

$2.51 UYU 101

$1.30 MX$24.07

93.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 UYU 75.2

$0.83 MX$15.47

125.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 UYU 196

$3.15 MX$58.4

54.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 UYU 148

$4.93 MX$91.6

-25.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 UYU 52.0

$1.41 MX$26.14

-8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 UYU 118

$2.20 MX$40.75

33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 UYU 69.1

$1.47 MX$27.33

17.01%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 186

$2.50 MX$46.34

84.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.93 UYU 561

$7.29 MX$135

91.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 UYU 457

$7.95 MX$148

42.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 UYU 491

$12.86 MX$239

-5.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$2.90 MX$53.8

-1.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 UYU 113

$1.38 MX$25.67

102.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 68.0

$2.49 MX$46.23

-32.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 UYU 129

$2.03 MX$37.67

57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 UYU 78.5

$2.02 MX$37.58

-3.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 UYU 88.8

$1.90 MX$35.32

16.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 UYU 56.6

$1.14 MX$21.24

23.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.3

$1.24 MX$22.99

57.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 UYU 215

$4.27 MX$79.3

25.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.26 UYU 333

$9.81 MX$182

-15.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.59 MX$29.43

42.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 UYU 108

$2.75 MX$51.0

-2.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 UYU 30.99

$0.51 MX$9.56

50.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$4.76 MX$88.4

-61.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 UYU 42.46

$3.25 MX$60.3

-67.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.74 UYU 513

$5.39 MX$100

136.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.3

$1.53 MX$28.36

45.10%

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

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

$21.2K MX$393.7K

24.44%

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

$35.7K UYU 1.4M

$23.3K MX$431.7K

53.34%

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

$181 UYU 7,267

$83.5 MX$1,549

116.22%

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

$21.03 UYU 847

$23.19 MX$430

-9.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.55 UYU 1,713

$27.61 MX$512

54.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,047

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 UYU 500

$5.00 MX$92.8

148.60%

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

$619 UYU 24.9K

$207 MX$3,843

199.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K UYU 457.7K

$5,231 MX$97.1K

117.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 UYU 4,069

$43.45 MX$806

132.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 UYU 2,230

$42.54 MX$789

30.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,015

$72.8 MX$1,350

71.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 UYU 5,411

$88.4 MX$1,640

52.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,097

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$113.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

11.45

-50.66%

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

Last update for Minas: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Minas

$329 30.9%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 21.8% $72

Eating Out

Minas

$270 25.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 25.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Minas

$244 22.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 45% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Minas

$187 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 40.5% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Minas

$25 * 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 167% $42

Getting Around

Minas

$10 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 396% $40

Accommodation & Living

Minas

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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 $68 in Minas versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Minas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

2 h behind Minas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,446

149,923

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.48 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.26 UYU (100 UYU = 2.48 USD). 1 EUR = 45.19 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Minas Playa del Carmen 6,980 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Minas
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,065 in Minas, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Minas comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,598 per month in Minas and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,065 in Minas and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Minas about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $619 per month in Minas and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,065 in Minas and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,065 in Minas to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.