Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasaje and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasaje: $864 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Pasaje
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Pasaje Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Pasaje

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$864

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $864 per month in Pasaje vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pasaje $864
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,428 per month in Pasaje vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pasaje $1,428
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,993 per month in Pasaje vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pasaje $1,993
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Pasaje is about 28% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pasaje and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Pasaje 37% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 $3.88

$10.92 MX$203

-64.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 $52.3

$43.37 MX$805

20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 $9.14

$11.78 MX$219

-22.41%

Cappuccino

$2.91 $2.91

$3.81 MX$70.7

-23.62%

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

$0.86 $0.86

$1.28 MX$23.81

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 $0.73

$0.78 MX$14.54

-6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.17 MX$58.8

-6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.93 MX$91.7

-12.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.41 MX$26.12

-17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.22 MX$41.17

-12.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.42 MX$26.32

-1.41%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$2.52 MX$46.85

-17.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$7.26 MX$135

-5.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$7.70 MX$143

-33.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$12.69 MX$236

-29.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.78 MX$51.7

-47.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.37 MX$25.41

-15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.55 MX$47.37

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.12 MX$39.43

-54.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.94 MX$36.00

-34.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.89 MX$35.02

-51.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.15 MX$21.29

-24.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.18 MX$21.89

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 $5.91

$4.30 MX$79.8

37.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 $11.99

$9.95 MX$185

20.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.58 MX$29.41

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.67 MX$49.60

-19.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 $0.39

$0.55 MX$10.28

-29.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$4.97 MX$92.3

-43.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.33 MX$61.9

-48.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.91 $11.91

$5.36 MX$99.5

122.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.44 MX$26.82

-42.36%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

11.20%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

32.94%

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

$33.84 $33.84

$84.8 MX$1,575

-60.09%

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

$15.11 $15.11

$23.41 MX$435

-35.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.30 $26.30

$28.66 MX$532

-8.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.99 $30.99

$57.1 MX$1,059

-45.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 $15.24

$28.91 MX$537

-47.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 $7.52

$5.14 MX$95.4

46.30%

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

$368 $368

$207 MX$3,836

77.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,688 $5,688

$3,927 MX$72.9K

44.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.1 $66.1

$43.35 MX$805

52.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.84 $39.84

$41.44 MX$770

-3.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 $124

$74.2 MX$1,378

67.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 $91.0

$89.3 MX$1,657

1.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 $411

$980 MX$18.2K

-57.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 $263

$381 MX$7,072

-30.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 $710

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-58.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 $505

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-53.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.45

-12.23%

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

Last update for Pasaje: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasaje

$263 30.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 44.5% $117

Groceries & Markets

Pasaje

$198 23%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 28.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Pasaje

$144 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.6% $33

Eating Out

Pasaje

$123 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 64.2% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasaje

$75 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 81.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Pasaje

$46 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 46.2% $21

Getting Around

Pasaje

$13 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 288% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $411 in Pasaje versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Pasaje versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Pasaje vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Pasaje wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Pasaje

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

Same time as Pasaje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,860

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pasaje Playa del Carmen 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasaje
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 39% more than Pasaje, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,296 per month in Pasaje and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pasaje, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $411 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Pasaje and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $864 in Pasaje and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $864 in Pasaje to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.