Cost of Living Comparison Between Monteria and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Monteria and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,280 in Monteria versus $1,266 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,055 in Monteria versus $2,279 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Monteria versus $3,292 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Monteria is roughly 1% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Monteria 6% lower, Playa del Carmen 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.95 COP 15.4K

$11.60 MX$200

-57.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.47 COP 132.5K

$47.11 MX$812

-9.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 COP 31.0K

$11.88 MX$205

-16.41%

Cappuccino

$3.54 COP 11.1K

$3.98 MX$68.6

-11.06%

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

$1.89 COP 5,886

$1.43 MX$24.60

32.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 COP 5,647

$0.82 MX$14.22

120.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 COP 6,475

$3.19 MX$55.0

-35.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 COP 15.4K

$6.79 MX$117

-27.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 COP 5,903

$1.68 MX$28.89

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 COP 9,085

$2.20 MX$37.88

32.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,587

$1.71 MX$29.45

-14.04%

Eggs

$5.02 COP 15.7K

$2.74 MX$47.26

83.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.02 COP 25.0K

$9.58 MX$165

-16.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 COP 30.9K

$9.01 MX$155

9.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 COP 36.7K

$12.81 MX$221

-8.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 COP 11.7K

$2.89 MX$49.81

30.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,300

$1.50 MX$25.81

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 COP 5,653

$2.15 MX$37.03

-15.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 COP 5,875

$2.26 MX$38.96

-16.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,532

$1.98 MX$34.15

-26.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,845

$1.99 MX$34.30

-22.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 COP 3,284

$1.23 MX$21.28

-14.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 COP 3,669

$1.20 MX$20.63

-1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 COP 12.7K

$4.55 MX$78.5

-10.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 COP 46.0K

$10.37 MX$179

42.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,365

$1.62 MX$27.91

-13.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 COP 8,092

$2.88 MX$49.67

-10.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 COP 3,201

$0.60 MX$10.35

71.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.80 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 COP 4,934

$5.39 MX$92.9

-70.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.85 COP 12.0K

$3.73 MX$64.3

3.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.58 COP 29.9K

$5.77 MX$99.5

66.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 COP 4,263

$1.54 MX$26.48

-11.04%

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

$24.1K COP 75.3M

$22.5K MX$388.8K

6.99%

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

$35.6K COP 111.1M

$26.1K MX$449.3K

36.59%

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

$81.3 COP 253.8K

$91.4 MX$1,576

-10.99%

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

$13.02 COP 40.6K

$25.20 MX$435

-48.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.71 COP 98.9K

$31.24 MX$539

1.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.52 COP 123.3K

$67.2 MX$1,159

-41.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 MX$502

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 COP 25.5K

$4.86 MX$83.8

68.11%

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

$640 COP 2.0M

$224 MX$3,856

185.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,997 COP 18.7M

$4,229 MX$72.9K

41.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.7 COP 304.8K

$47.10 MX$812

107.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.2 COP 191.0K

$44.29 MX$764

38.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 412.5K

$80.1 MX$1,381

65.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 COP 324.1K

$92.7 MX$1,598

12.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 COP 2.3M

$1,063 MX$18.3K

-31.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 COP 1.6M

$390 MX$6,728

34.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 COP 3.1M

$2,149 MX$37.1K

-53.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 COP 2.8M

$1,272 MX$21.9K

-29.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 COP 5.5M

$4,001 MX$69.0K

-56.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,675 COP 5.2M

$6,502 MX$112.1K

-74.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

31.00%

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

Last update for Monteria: September 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $724 in Monteria and $1,063 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Monteria vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $276, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Monteria. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,919 in Monteria and $1,899 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: $724 in Monteria versus $1,063 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $640 in Monteria versus $224 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 $47.00 versus $42.00 in Monteria. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,266 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,280 in Monteria, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Monteria. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,266 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Monteria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.