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

🙂 Solo nomad: Palmas is 49.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 43.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Palmas is 18.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 51% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palmas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.54 R$19.63
$11.99 MX$227
-70.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.09 R$100
$42.47 MX$803
-57.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.41 R$41.13
$10.47 MX$198
-29.23%
Cappuccino
$1.35 R$7.49
$3.6 MX$68.2
-62.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 R$9.07
$1.44 MX$27.16
13.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 R$5.62
$0.89 MX$16.79
13.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.28 R$7.1
$3.09 MX$58.5
-58.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 R$14.58
$4.58 MX$86.6
-42.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palmas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1 R$5.56
$1.38 MX$26.04
-27.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 R$7.63
$1.85 MX$34.9
-25.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 R$9.86
$1.57 MX$29.68
13.38%
Eggs
$2.33 R$12.96
$2.55 MX$48.3
-8.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.35 R$35.25
$8.61 MX$163
-26.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.39 R$18.83
$8.54 MX$161
-60.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.62 R$31.21
$10.98 MX$208
-48.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.07 R$11.5
$2.72 MX$51.4
-23.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 R$8.73
$1.51 MX$28.57
3.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.14 R$6.34
$1.88 MX$35.63
-39.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.06 R$5.88
$2.19 MX$41.42
-51.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.2 R$6.67
$1.87 MX$35.3
-35.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.06 R$5.86
$2.19 MX$41.37
-51.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 R$4.18
$1.07 MX$20.23
-29.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 R$3.71
$1.09 MX$20.64
-38.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.07 R$11.51
$3.96 MX$74.9
-47.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.45 R$35.78
$8.86 MX$167
-27.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 R$5.27
$1.72 MX$32.53
-44.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 R$11.35
$2.61 MX$49.37
-21.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Palmas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.66 R$3.68
$0.52 MX$9.74
26.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.99 R$211
$26.59 MX$503
42.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R$6.07
$3.24 MX$61.2
-66.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.71 R$3.96
$2.38 MX$44.94
-70.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.36 R$35.27
$3.11 MX$58.7
104.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 R$5.77
$1.31 MX$24.85
-20.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K R$114.1K
$30.3K MX$573K
-32.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K R$151.5K
$24K MX$453.6K
13.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palmas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R$654
$84.2 MX$1,592
39.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.73 R$59.6
$22.14 MX$419
-51.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.01 R$100
$30.14 MX$570
-40.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palmas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.75 R$121
$52 MX$983
-58.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.96 R$122
$18.72 MX$354
17.31%
Cinema Ticket
$5.27 R$29.23
$5.07 MX$95.9
3.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palmas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$129 R$715
$200 MX$3,787
-35.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,585 R$36.5K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
23.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palmas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.28 R$207
$35.74 MX$676
4.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.82 R$238
$39.8 MX$753
7.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.4 R$502
$79 MX$1,493
14.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.4 R$319
$88.4 MX$1,671
-35.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palmas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$220 R$1,223
$965 MX$18.3K
-77.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$146 R$813
$474 MX$8,968
-69.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$448 R$2,486
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-72.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$292 R$1,620
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-75.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,602 R$8,892
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-48.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$900 R$4,995
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-88.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palmas
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$282 R$1,565
$792 MX$15K
-64.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.92
11.42
-4.38%

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

Last update for Palmas: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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