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

😐 Solo nomad: Monterrey is 10.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 23.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Monterrey is 33.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 14.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.21 MX$228
$11.61 MX$201
13.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$899
$42.75 MX$739
21.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.11 MX$175
$10.60 MX$183
-4.62%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$3.59 MX$62.0
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.15
$1.45 MX$25.10
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 MX$18.14
$0.90 MX$15.52
16.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.61 MX$45.08
$3.03 MX$52.4
-13.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.28 MX$74.1
$4.56 MX$78.8
-6.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 MX$27.55
$1.45 MX$25.10
9.66%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 MX$46.39
$1.83 MX$31.59
46.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.90 MX$32.81
$1.61 MX$27.80
18.01%
Eggs
$2.66 MX$46.06
$2.54 MX$43.87
4.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.14 MX$175
$8.54 MX$148
18.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.16 MX$158
$8.47 MX$146
8.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.73 MX$237
$10.86 MX$188
26.43%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 MX$52.8
$2.73 MX$47.18
12.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 MX$25.18
$1.49 MX$25.80
-2.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$35.16
$1.94 MX$33.59
4.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 MX$35.96
$2.16 MX$37.42
-3.70%
Potato (1kg)
$2.30 MX$39.77
$1.85 MX$31.92
24.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.48 MX$42.96
$2.19 MX$37.84
13.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 MX$26.39
$1.07 MX$18.54
42.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$18.77
$1.08 MX$18.73
0.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 MX$71.4
$4.06 MX$70.2
1.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.73 MX$203
$10.46 MX$181
12.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 MX$30.68
$1.65 MX$28.59
7.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 MX$55.4
$2.55 MX$44.06
25.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 MX$13.21
$0.56 MX$9.61
35.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.42 MX$699
$26.20 MX$453
54.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.74 MX$30.07
$3.14 MX$54.3
-44.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 MX$17.46
$2.37 MX$41.00
-57.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.63 MX$184
$3.24 MX$56.0
228.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$22.77
$1.31 MX$22.72
0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K MX$461.6K
$30.5K MX$528.0K
-12.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K MX$444.8K
$23.8K MX$411.9K
7.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 MX$2,094
$83.1 MX$1,438
45.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.93 MX$483
$22.15 MX$383
26.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.23 MX$523
$29.37 MX$508
2.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.55 MX$649
$51.2 MX$885
-26.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.67 MX$375
$18.69 MX$323
15.94%
Cinema Ticket
$5.73 MX$99.0
$4.89 MX$84.5
17.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$348 MX$6,011
$199 MX$3,435
75.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,022 MX$156.0K
$5,207 MX$90.0K
73.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 MX$1,020
$35.93 MX$621
64.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.88 MX$724
$39.39 MX$681
6.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$1,880
$80.3 MX$1,388
35.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 MX$2,213
$87.6 MX$1,514
46.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$910 MX$15.7K
$963 MX$16.7K
-5.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$648 MX$11.2K
$482 MX$8,336
34.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,604 MX$27.7K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-2.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 MX$24.5K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
18.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,142 MX$71.6K
$3,957 MX$68.4K
4.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,925 MX$50.6K
$6,513 MX$112.6K
-55.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,141 MX$19.7K
$726 MX$12.6K
57.12%
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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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