Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panajachel and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Panajachel: $745 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Panajachel

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $745 in Panajachel versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Panajachel $745
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,242 in Panajachel versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Panajachel $1,242
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,739 in Panajachel versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Panajachel $1,739
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Panajachel costs roughly 38% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Panajachel 45% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.89 Q 52.6

$10.67 MX$199

-35.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 Q 378

$43.80 MX$815

12.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 Q 60.4

$11.79 MX$219

-32.91%

Cappuccino

$3.42 Q 26.13

$3.79 MX$70.5

-9.76%

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

$1.16 Q 8.84

$1.30 MX$24.14

-10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 Q 7.09

$0.83 MX$15.51

12.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.30

$3.15 MX$58.6

0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 Q 36.03

$4.93 MX$91.8

-4.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 Q 16.01

$1.41 MX$26.22

48.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 Q 23.56

$2.20 MX$40.86

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Q 16.28

$1.47 MX$27.40

44.90%

Eggs

$2.35 Q 17.94

$2.50 MX$46.46

-6.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 Q 48.35

$7.29 MX$136

-13.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 Q 72.9

$7.95 MX$148

20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 Q 103

$12.86 MX$239

4.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 Q 28.92

$2.90 MX$53.9

30.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.64

$1.38 MX$25.74

19.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 Q 21.68

$2.49 MX$46.35

14.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 Q 12.46

$2.03 MX$37.77

-19.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.70

$2.02 MX$37.68

-24.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 Q 15.90

$1.90 MX$35.42

9.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.19

$1.14 MX$21.30

-40.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 Q 8.91

$1.24 MX$23.05

-5.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 Q 30.75

$4.27 MX$79.5

-5.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 Q 63.0

$9.81 MX$183

-16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 Q 13.07

$1.59 MX$29.51

7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 Q 20.80

$2.75 MX$51.1

-1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 Q 39.60

$4.76 MX$88.6

8.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.60 Q 81.0

$5.39 MX$100

96.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 Q 10.25

$1.53 MX$28.44

-12.42%

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

$27.1K Q 206.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

27.53%

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

$25.2K Q 192.9K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

8.49%

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

$72.7 Q 555

$83.5 MX$1,554

-12.97%

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

$29.08 Q 222

$23.19 MX$431

25.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.40 Q 347

$27.61 MX$514

64.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 Q 48.88

$5.00 MX$93.1

28.00%

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

$338 Q 2,584

$207 MX$3,854

63.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,571 Q 50.2K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

25.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 Q 376

$43.45 MX$809

13.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.06 Q 360

$42.54 MX$792

10.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 Q 881

$72.8 MX$1,354

58.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Q 846

$88.4 MX$1,645

25.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.45

1.48%

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

Last update for Panajachel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Panajachel

–

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Groceries & Markets

Panajachel

–

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Eating Out

Panajachel

–

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panajachel

–

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Panajachel

–

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Panajachel

–

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Getting Around

Panajachel

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $49 in Panajachel vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Panajachel

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

1 h ahead of Panajachel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,142

149,923

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.55 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Panajachel Playa del Carmen 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Panajachel
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

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

Panajachel wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Panajachel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,117 in Panajachel and $1,804 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.

Childcare runs $338 in Panajachel versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $49 in Panajachel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.