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

😐 Solo nomad: Monterrey is 14.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 25.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Monterrey is 11.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 14.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 MX$232
$11.85 MX$208
11.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.2 MX$918
$42.16 MX$742
23.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$182
$10.75 MX$189
-3.72%
Cappuccino
$3.62 MX$63.6
$3.47 MX$61.1
4.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 MX$25.61
$1.45 MX$25.56
0.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 MX$17.41
$0.90 MX$15.88
10.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.72 MX$47.81
$3.05 MX$53.7
-10.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$74.8
$4.42 MX$77.7
-3.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 MX$29.22
$1.37 MX$24.09
21.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.63 MX$46.31
$1.87 MX$32.93
40.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.70
$1.54 MX$27.15
20.78%
Eggs
$2.57 MX$45.16
$2.50 MX$44.03
2.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.41 MX$183
$8.61 MX$151
20.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.89 MX$156
$8.63 MX$152
3.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.37 MX$235
$11.02 MX$194
21.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 MX$53.5
$2.75 MX$48.36
10.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 MX$25.81
$1.43 MX$25.12
2.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 MX$36.65
$1.87 MX$32.94
11.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.07 MX$36.38
$2.17 MX$38.13
-4.61%
Potato (1kg)
$2.33 MX$40.95
$1.88 MX$33.12
23.94%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 MX$44.57
$2.25 MX$39.51
12.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 MX$26.62
$1.07 MX$18.78
41.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 MX$19.65
$1.07 MX$18.88
4.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.11 MX$72.3
$4.15 MX$73.1
-0.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.76 MX$207
$10.34 MX$182
13.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 MX$29.86
$1.68 MX$29.54
1.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 MX$55.8
$2.48 MX$43.69
27.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 MX$13.35
$0.55 MX$9.76
38.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.42 MX$711
$26.53 MX$467
52.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.76 MX$30.94
$3.22 MX$56.6
-45.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 MX$17.44
$2.48 MX$43.65
-60.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.52 MX$185
$3.11 MX$54.7
238.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$23.05
$1.26 MX$22.09
3.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K MX$462.1K
$30.7K MX$539.3K
-14.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K MX$460.7K
$24.0K MX$422.8K
8.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 MX$2,121
$82.5 MX$1,451
46.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.41 MX$482
$22.29 MX$392
22.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.53 MX$520
$30.02 MX$528
-1.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.37 MX$657
$51.4 MX$905
-27.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.92 MX$386
$18.29 MX$322
19.85%
Cinema Ticket
$5.90 MX$104
$4.98 MX$87.7
18.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$342 MX$6,016
$200 MX$3,518
70.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,875 MX$156.1K
$5,304 MX$93.3K
67.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 MX$1,052
$35.71 MX$628
67.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.21 MX$760
$39.56 MX$696
9.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$1,907
$80.6 MX$1,417
34.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 MX$2,235
$88.3 MX$1,554
43.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$886 MX$15.6K
$969 MX$17.1K
-8.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 MX$11.7K
$482 MX$8,482
38.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,556 MX$27.4K
$1,595 MX$28.1K
-2.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,383 MX$24.3K
$1,184 MX$20.8K
16.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,354 MX$76.6K
$4,050 MX$71.2K
7.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,842 MX$50.0K
$6,522 MX$114.7K
-56.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,059 MX$18.6K
$756 MX$13.3K
40.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
11.42
1.14%

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

Last update for Monterrey: March 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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