Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montanita and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $893 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$893

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $893 in Montanita versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Montanita $893
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,344 in Montanita versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Montanita $1,344
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,796 in Montanita versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Montanita $1,796
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Montanita costs roughly 26% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Montanita 34% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.44 $3.44

$10.92 MX$204

-68.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.67 $27.67

$43.37 MX$808

-36.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 $7.30

$11.78 MX$220

-38.03%

Cappuccino

$2.40 $2.40

$3.81 MX$71.0

-37.01%

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

$0.85 $0.85

$1.28 MX$23.90

-33.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 $0.63

$0.78 MX$14.59

-19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.17 MX$59.0

-38.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$4.93 MX$92.0

-27.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.41 MX$26.22

-19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.22 MX$41.33

-22.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.42 MX$26.42

5.63%

Eggs

$2.10 $2.10

$2.52 MX$47.03

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$7.26 MX$135

-25.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$7.70 MX$143

-29.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$12.69 MX$237

-49.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.78 MX$51.9

-24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.37 MX$25.50

-10.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.55 MX$47.55

-57.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.12 MX$39.58

-48.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.94 MX$36.13

-26.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.89 MX$35.16

-46.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.15 MX$21.37

-57.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.18 MX$21.98

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.10 $6.10

$4.30 MX$80.1

41.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$9.95 MX$185

-1.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.58 MX$29.52

-3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.67 MX$49.79

-4.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.55 MX$10.31

-34.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.56 $23.56

$26.62 MX$496

-11.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$4.97 MX$92.6

-69.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.33 MX$62.1

-69.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 $10.03

$5.36 MX$99.8

87.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.44 MX$26.92

-56.94%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

20.36%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

20.45%

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

$40.55 $40.55

$84.8 MX$1,581

-52.18%

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

$13.96 $13.96

$23.41 MX$436

-40.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.87 $30.87

$28.66 MX$534

7.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 $29.86

$57.1 MX$1,063

-47.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.43 $14.43

$28.91 MX$539

-50.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 $7.33

$5.14 MX$95.8

42.61%

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

$256 $256

$207 MX$3,851

23.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,690 $5,690

$3,927 MX$73.2K

44.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$43.35 MX$808

28.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.86 $42.86

$41.44 MX$772

3.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$74.2 MX$1,383

35.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.8 $74.8

$89.3 MX$1,664

-16.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 $336

$980 MX$18.3K

-65.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 $321

$381 MX$7,099

-15.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 $622

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-63.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 $503

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-53.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,245 $1,245

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-68.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,013 $1,013

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-83.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-12.66%

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

Last update for Montanita: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montanita

$321 35.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 18.7% $60

Groceries & Markets

Montanita

$186 20.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 37% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Montanita

$123 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.4% $12

Eating Out

Montanita

$101 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 100% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montanita

$85 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Montanita

$45 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 51.2% $23

Getting Around

Montanita

$32 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $336 in Montanita and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $28 in Montanita vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $255 per month, with Montanita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Montanita

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

Same time as Montanita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montanita Playa del Carmen 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Montanita
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

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

Montanita is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,339 in Montanita 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $336 in Montanita versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $256 in Montanita versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $893 in Montanita versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Montanita but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Montanita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Montanita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.