Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Naucalpan de Juárez and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Naucalpan de Juárez and in Playa del Carmen: $1,199 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

Naucalpan de Juárez
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,199
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,199 in Naucalpan de Juárez versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Naucalpan de Juárez $1,199
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,970 in Naucalpan de Juárez versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Naucalpan de Juárez $1,970
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,741 in Naucalpan de Juárez versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Naucalpan de Juárez $2,741
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Monthly costs are close between Naucalpan de Juárez and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Naucalpan de Juárez 12% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Naucalpan de Juárez
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.89 MX$201
$10.86 MX$201
0.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.92 MX$904
$44.21 MX$817
10.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.67 MX$179
$11.76 MX$217
-17.77%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$3.68 MX$68.0
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 MX$28.69
$1.34 MX$24.79
15.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.17
$0.82 MX$15.24
32.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.16 MX$58.5
$3.06 MX$56.6
3.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.35 MX$98.9
$4.94 MX$91.2
8.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Naucalpan de Juárez
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.78 MX$32.85
$1.47 MX$27.17
21.09%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 MX$50.6
$2.22 MX$40.95
23.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.85
$1.48 MX$27.32
31.08%
Eggs
$2.76 MX$51.1
$2.49 MX$45.99
10.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.89 MX$164
$7.52 MX$139
18.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 MX$176
$7.96 MX$147
19.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 MX$259
$12.57 MX$232
11.30%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 MX$56.1
$2.78 MX$51.3
9.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.08
$1.43 MX$26.37
32.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.21 MX$40.82
$2.62 MX$48.37
-15.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.30 MX$42.52
$2.14 MX$39.49
7.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 MX$35.73
$2.02 MX$37.38
-4.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 MX$34.53
$1.99 MX$36.74
-6.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 MX$28.11
$1.14 MX$21.01
33.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.33
$1.20 MX$22.18
0.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.39 MX$81.1
$4.26 MX$78.7
3.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.36 MX$302
$10.02 MX$185
63.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 MX$35.99
$1.54 MX$28.41
26.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 MX$70.2
$2.66 MX$49.17
42.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Naucalpan de Juárez
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.73 MX$13.40
$0.53 MX$9.73
37.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.02 MX$37.31
$4.90 MX$90.6
-58.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 MX$10.41
$3.43 MX$63.5
-83.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.0
$5.38 MX$99.4
-1.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$27.82
$1.45 MX$26.76
4.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$403.3K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
3.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$439.1K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
3.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Naucalpan de Juárez
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.1 MX$1,055
$85.4 MX$1,577
-33.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.87 MX$497
$23.46 MX$434
14.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.17 MX$447
$28.43 MX$525
-14.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Naucalpan de Juárez
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.43 MX$599
$62.2 MX$1,149
-47.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.14 MX$409
$28.68 MX$530
-22.80%
Cinema Ticket
$6.50 MX$120
$5.10 MX$94.3
27.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Naucalpan de Juárez
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$269 MX$4,974
$201 MX$3,715
33.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,485 MX$82.9K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
13.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Naucalpan de Juárez
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.1 MX$981
$44.39 MX$820
19.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.51 MX$804
$41.35 MX$764
5.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.8 MX$1,807
$72.7 MX$1,344
34.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.4 MX$1,819
$89.6 MX$1,656
9.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Naucalpan de Juárez
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$543 MX$10.0K
$979 MX$18.1K
-44.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$401 MX$7,408
$373 MX$6,887
7.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 MX$16.6K
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-46.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$844 MX$15.6K
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-22.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,695 MX$31.3K
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-57.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$979 MX$18.1K
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-84.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Naucalpan de Juárez
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
11.45
-1.31%

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

Last update for Naucalpan de Juárez: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Naucalpan de Juárez
$401
Playa del Carmen
$373 7% $28
Groceries & Markets
Naucalpan de Juárez
$307
Playa del Carmen
$258 15.9% $49
Eating Out
Naucalpan de Juárez
$197
Playa del Carmen
$200 1.4% $2.8
Clothing & Footwear
Naucalpan de Juárez
$132
Playa del Carmen
$112 15.3% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Naucalpan de Juárez
$108
Playa del Carmen
$137 26.9% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Naucalpan de Juárez
$45
Playa del Carmen
$72 59.4% $27
Getting Around
Naucalpan de Juárez
$7.7 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 568% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $543 in Naucalpan de Juárez and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Naucalpan de Juárez vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Naucalpan de Juárez
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
04:53 4:53 AM
05:53 5:53 AM
1 h ahead of Naucalpan de Juárez
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
792,211
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Naucalpan de Juárez Playa del Carmen 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Naucalpan de Juárez
  • 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
Naucalpan de Juárez vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Naucalpan de Juárez and in Playa del Carmen?
You'd need roughly $1,798 in Naucalpan de Juárez 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Naucalpan de Juárez compared to Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $543 in Naucalpan de Juárez versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Naucalpan de Juárez or in Playa del Carmen?
Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How do dining costs compare in Naucalpan de Juárez and in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Naucalpan de Juárez – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Naucalpan de Juárez or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,199 in Naucalpan de Juárez versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Naucalpan de Juárez but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Naucalpan de Juárez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Naucalpan de Juárez or Playa del Carmen?
Both work as nomad bases, but Naucalpan de Juárez delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,199 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Naucalpan de Juárez hard to pass up.
Should I move to Naucalpan de Juárez or to Playa del Carmen?
It comes down to priorities – Naucalpan de Juárez wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Naucalpan de Juárez vs other spots: cost of living compared

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