Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monteria and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,373 in Monteria, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,373

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,373 in Monteria versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Monteria $1,373
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,042 in Monteria versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Monteria $2,042
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,711 in Monteria versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Monteria $2,711
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Monteria is roughly 14% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 COP 19.2K

$10.92 MX$203

-45.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.62 COP 150.4K

$43.37 MX$805

7.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 COP 33.4K

$11.78 MX$219

-12.14%

Cappuccino

$2.66 COP 8,589

$3.81 MX$70.7

-30.18%

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

$2.48 COP 7,994

$1.28 MX$23.81

93.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 COP 7,382

$0.78 MX$14.54

193.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.17 MX$58.8

0.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 COP 16.2K

$4.93 MX$91.7

1.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 COP 5,997

$1.41 MX$26.12

31.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 COP 8,949

$2.22 MX$41.17

24.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,564

$1.42 MX$26.32

-0.70%

Eggs

$4.88 COP 15.7K

$2.52 MX$46.85

93.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.07 COP 26.0K

$7.26 MX$135

11.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 COP 30.9K

$7.70 MX$143

24.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 COP 36.2K

$12.69 MX$236

-11.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 COP 10.6K

$2.78 MX$51.7

18.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.37 MX$25.41

2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 COP 5,772

$2.55 MX$47.37

-29.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,249

$2.12 MX$39.43

-8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,683

$1.94 MX$36.00

-25.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,577

$1.89 MX$35.02

-24.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 COP 4,155

$1.15 MX$21.29

12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 COP 3,842

$1.18 MX$21.89

0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 COP 12.1K

$4.30 MX$79.8

-12.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 COP 45.8K

$9.95 MX$185

42.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,697

$1.58 MX$29.41

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 COP 7,218

$2.67 MX$49.60

-16.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 COP 3,059

$0.55 MX$10.28

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.5 COP 224.1K

$26.62 MX$494

160.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 COP 5,016

$4.97 MX$92.3

-68.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.79 COP 12.2K

$3.33 MX$61.9

13.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.40 COP 30.3K

$5.36 MX$99.5

75.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,197

$1.44 MX$26.82

-9.72%

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

$34.9K COP 112.6M

$20.7K MX$383.8K

68.84%

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

$34.4K COP 111.0M

$23.5K MX$435.8K

46.65%

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

$78.5 COP 253.2K

$84.8 MX$1,575

-7.44%

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

$12.02 COP 38.8K

$23.41 MX$435

-48.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.32 COP 101.1K

$28.66 MX$532

9.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.34 COP 117.3K

$57.1 MX$1,059

-36.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 COP 26.4K

$5.14 MX$95.4

58.95%

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

$623 COP 2.0M

$207 MX$3,836

201.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,902 COP 19.0M

$3,927 MX$72.9K

50.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 COP 270.9K

$43.35 MX$805

93.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 COP 193.3K

$41.44 MX$770

44.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 COP 476.1K

$74.2 MX$1,378

98.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 COP 279.2K

$89.3 MX$1,657

-3.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 COP 2.2M

$980 MX$18.2K

-29.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$493 COP 1.6M

$381 MX$7,072

29.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 COP 4.0M

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-28.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 COP 2.3M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-33.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,339 COP 7.5M

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-40.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,925 COP 6.2M

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-68.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

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: 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

Monteria

$493 35.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 22.8% $113

Groceries & Markets

Monteria

$286 20.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 10.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Monteria

$170 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34.3% $58

Eating Out

Monteria

$156 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 30% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monteria

$122 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 12.3% $15

Getting Around

Monteria

$94 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 46.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Monteria

$53 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 27.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $694 in Monteria and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Monteria vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Monteria

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

Same time as Monteria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

454,032

149,923

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monteria Playa del Carmen 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monteria
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 12% 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 $2,060 in Monteria 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: $694 in Monteria versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $623 in Monteria 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 12% higher in Monteria. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.