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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Paola is 2.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 53% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Paola is 61.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 24.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Paola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.38 โ‚ฌ15.01
$11.99 MX$227
44.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.37 โ‚ฌ39.17
$42.47 MX$803
6.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.11 โ‚ฌ7.87
$10.47 MX$198
-12.99%
Cappuccino
$1.76 โ‚ฌ1.52
$3.6 MX$68.2
-51.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 โ‚ฌ1.98
$1.44 MX$27.16
59.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 โ‚ฌ0.99
$0.89 MX$16.79
29.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4 โ‚ฌ3.45
$3.09 MX$58.5
29.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 โ‚ฌ2.98
$4.58 MX$86.6
-24.45%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Paola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 โ‚ฌ1.19
$1.38 MX$26.04
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.29 โ‚ฌ1.11
$1.85 MX$34.9
-30.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.17 โ‚ฌ3.6
$1.57 MX$29.68
165.61%
Eggs
$4.63 โ‚ฌ3.99
$2.55 MX$48.3
81.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.3 โ‚ฌ8.89
$8.61 MX$163
19.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.54 โ‚ฌ8.23
$8.54 MX$161
11.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.16 โ‚ฌ12.22
$10.98 MX$208
28.96%
Apples (1kg)
$4.44 โ‚ฌ3.83
$2.72 MX$51.4
63.24%
Banana (1kg)
$3.03 โ‚ฌ2.61
$1.51 MX$28.57
100.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.33 โ‚ฌ2.88
$1.88 MX$35.63
77.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.73 โ‚ฌ3.22
$2.19 MX$41.42
70.32%
Potato (1kg)
$2.6 โ‚ฌ2.25
$1.87 MX$35.3
39.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 โ‚ฌ1.11
$2.19 MX$41.37
-41.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 โ‚ฌ2.02
$1.07 MX$20.23
118.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 โ‚ฌ1.06
$1.09 MX$20.64
12.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.36 โ‚ฌ5.49
$3.96 MX$74.9
60.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.99 โ‚ฌ7.76
$8.86 MX$167
1.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 โ‚ฌ1.63
$1.72 MX$32.53
9.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 โ‚ฌ2.02
$2.61 MX$49.37
-10.34%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Paola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.79 โ‚ฌ2.41
$0.52 MX$9.74
436.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.96 โ‚ฌ5.15
$3.24 MX$61.2
83.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.19 โ‚ฌ3.62
$2.38 MX$44.94
76.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$49.81 โ‚ฌ43.01
$3.11 MX$58.7
1501.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 โ‚ฌ1.31
$1.31 MX$24.85
16.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38K โ‚ฌ32.8K
$30.3K MX$573K
25.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.5K โ‚ฌ32.4K
$24K MX$453.6K
56.49%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Paola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.8 โ‚ฌ80.1
$84.2 MX$1,592
10.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.86 โ‚ฌ24.05
$22.14 MX$419
25.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.77 โ‚ฌ39.51
$30.14 MX$570
51.86%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Paola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.6 โ‚ฌ55.8
$52 MX$983
24.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.12 โ‚ฌ19.97
$18.72 MX$354
23.50%
Cinema Ticket
$10.33 โ‚ฌ8.92
$5.07 MX$95.9
103.75%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Paola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$424 โ‚ฌ366
$200 MX$3,787
111.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11K โ‚ฌ9,515
$5,333 MX$100.8K
106.65%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Paola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.6 โ‚ฌ79.9
$35.74 MX$676
158.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.42 โ‚ฌ33.17
$39.8 MX$753
-3.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 โ‚ฌ90.2
$79 MX$1,493
32.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 โ‚ฌ87.6
$88.4 MX$1,671
14.78%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Paola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,149 โ‚ฌ992
$965 MX$18.3K
19.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$932 โ‚ฌ805
$474 MX$8,968
96.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,025 โ‚ฌ1,748
$1,653 MX$31.2K
22.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,518 โ‚ฌ1,311
$1,202 MX$22.7K
26.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,278 โ‚ฌ3,694
$3,081 MX$58.3K
38.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,835 โ‚ฌ2,448
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-62.34%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Paola
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,370 โ‚ฌ1,183
$792 MX$15K
73.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.08
11.42
-55.52%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Paola: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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