Cost of Living Comparison Between Palma Soriano and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Palma Soriano and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,568 in Palma Soriano versus $1,297 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,880 in Palma Soriano versus $2,181 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,193 in Palma Soriano versus $3,065 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Palma Soriano is roughly 21% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palma Soriano is 17% above, Playa del Carmen is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.01 CUP 120

$11.73 MX$203

-57.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.43 CUP 610

$41.62 MX$720

-38.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 CUP 118

$10.64 MX$184

-53.67%

Cappuccino

$3.15 CUP 75.5

$3.52 MX$60.9

-10.51%

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

$1.26 CUP 30.28

$1.51 MX$26.12

-16.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 CUP 22.04

$0.97 MX$16.84

-5.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 CUP 72.9

$2.95 MX$51.0

3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CUP 58.1

$4.45 MX$77.0

-45.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 CUP 49.13

$1.38 MX$23.93

48.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 CUP 34.16

$1.89 MX$32.72

-24.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.41

$1.64 MX$28.32

-37.80%

Eggs

$1.21 CUP 29.12

$2.51 MX$43.34

-51.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 CUP 148

$8.34 MX$144

-26.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 CUP 147

$8.34 MX$144

-26.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.82 CUP 260

$10.73 MX$186

0.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 CUP 45.58

$2.60 MX$45.04

-26.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CUP 29.37

$1.46 MX$25.20

-16.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 CUP 35.01

$1.90 MX$32.87

-23.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 CUP 34.97

$2.08 MX$35.91

-29.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 CUP 23.75

$1.78 MX$30.71

-44.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 CUP 23.53

$2.19 MX$37.80

-55.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 CUP 24.41

$1.04 MX$17.99

-1.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 CUP 26.96

$1.08 MX$18.62

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 CUP 73.4

$4.08 MX$70.6

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 CUP 237

$10.32 MX$178

-4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 CUP 71.6

$1.71 MX$29.61

74.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CUP 48.99

$2.58 MX$44.54

-20.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 CUP 6.28

$0.51 MX$8.81

-49.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.80 CUP 715

$26.46 MX$458

12.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 CUP 43.75

$3.26 MX$56.4

-44.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 CUP 8.69

$2.49 MX$43.09

-85.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 CUP 305

$3.25 MX$56.2

291.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CUP 26.84

$1.31 MX$22.61

-14.50%

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

$65.4K CUP 1.6M

$30.3K MX$523.7K

115.99%

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

$46.2K CUP 1.1M

$23.4K MX$405.3K

97.07%

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

$54.2 CUP 1,300

$82.9 MX$1,433

-34.66%

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

$10.05 CUP 241

$22.22 MX$384

-54.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$146 CUP 3,499

$29.34 MX$507

396.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.49 CUP 972

$51.6 MX$893

-21.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 CUP 238

$18.32 MX$317

-45.85%

Cinema Ticket

$0.98 CUP 23.45

$5.07 MX$87.6

-80.67%

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

$99.9 CUP 2,397

$201 MX$3,473

-50.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K CUP 292.5K

$5,212 MX$90.1K

133.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 CUP 1,536

$36.92 MX$639

73.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 CUP 837

$39.79 MX$688

-12.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 CUP 2,079

$78.5 MX$1,357

10.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 CUP 2,674

$87.1 MX$1,506

27.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 CUP 21.1K

$973 MX$16.8K

-9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 CUP 19.2K

$468 MX$8,090

70.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$743 CUP 17.8K

$1,641 MX$28.4K

-54.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 CUP 15.7K

$1,221 MX$21.1K

-46.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$314 CUP 7,545

$3,946 MX$68.3K

-92.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$330 CUP 7,920

$6,498 MX$112.4K

-94.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$39.79 CUP 955

$664 MX$11.5K

-94.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

11.42

-27.06%

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

Last update for Palma Soriano: June 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $880 in Palma Soriano and $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 1569% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Palma Soriano vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $249 per month, with Palma Soriano cheaper across the board.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Palma Soriano. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Playa del Carmen earns 1569% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $880 in Palma Soriano versus $973 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 13% less than in Palma Soriano. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $99.9 in Palma Soriano versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,297 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,568 in Palma Soriano, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Palma Soriano. 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 $1,297 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 21% less than in Palma Soriano. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.