Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mixco and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mixco: $818 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mixco
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Mixco Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Mixco

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$818

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $818 per month in Mixco vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mixco $818
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,356 per month in Mixco vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mixco $1,356
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,895 per month in Mixco vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mixco $1,895
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Mixco is about 32% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mixco and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Mixco 39% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 Q 68.1

$10.76 MX$199

-17.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 Q 396

$43.03 MX$795

20.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 Q 66.7

$11.79 MX$218

-26.04%

Cappuccino

$3.98 Q 30.42

$3.87 MX$71.4

2.84%

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

$2.13 Q 16.28

$1.37 MX$25.29

55.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 Q 11.09

$0.84 MX$15.44

72.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 Q 29.59

$3.10 MX$57.3

24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 Q 44.60

$5.07 MX$93.6

14.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 Q 15.94

$1.44 MX$26.55

45.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 Q 28.73

$2.23 MX$41.23

68.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 Q 14.79

$1.47 MX$27.17

31.29%

Eggs

$2.41 Q 18.42

$2.53 MX$46.71

-4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.39 Q 41.23

$7.30 MX$135

-26.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 Q 106

$7.86 MX$145

75.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 Q 79.3

$12.79 MX$236

-18.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 Q 38.41

$2.90 MX$53.6

73.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 Q 17.20

$1.44 MX$26.53

56.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.23 Q 39.97

$2.55 MX$47.07

105.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 Q 12.01

$2.06 MX$38.03

-23.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 Q 14.29

$2.00 MX$36.97

-6.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 Q 13.20

$2.01 MX$37.07

-13.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 Q 9.78

$1.19 MX$22.02

7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 Q 10.50

$1.26 MX$23.23

8.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 Q 30.66

$4.40 MX$81.4

-8.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 Q 58.6

$9.59 MX$177

-20.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 Q 22.23

$1.59 MX$29.41

83.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 Q 28.77

$2.81 MX$51.9

33.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 Q 35.29

$4.98 MX$92.1

-7.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 Q 9.65

$1.47 MX$27.08

-14.29%

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

$22.7K Q 173.8K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

8.30%

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

$21.7K Q 165.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-9.22%

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

$58.2 Q 445

$84.2 MX$1,556

-30.84%

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

$37.89 Q 290

$23.99 MX$443

57.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.4 Q 477

$29.02 MX$536

114.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.98 Q 61.0

$4.94 MX$91.3

61.54%

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

$541 Q 4,133

$204 MX$3,763

165.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K Q 105.5K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

250.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.23 Q 338

$43.60 MX$806

1.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 Q 415

$43.12 MX$797

25.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 Q 691

$75.8 MX$1,400

19.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 Q 603

$88.6 MX$1,637

-11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Mixco: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mixco

$328 40.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 21.1% $69

Eating Out

Mixco

$190 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 6.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mixco

$159 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 13.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Mixco

$121 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 6.2% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Mixco

$16 * 2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 357% $57

Getting Around

Mixco

$4.6 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 1038% $48

Accommodation & Living

Mixco

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

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 $52.0 in Mixco versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Mixco

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

05:48 5:48 AM

1 h ahead of Mixco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

688,124

149,923

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mixco Playa del Carmen 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mixco
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,226 per month in Mixco and $1,816 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 $818 in Mixco and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 48%.

Kindergarten costs $541 per month in Mixco and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mixco, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Mixco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mixco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mixco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.