Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasto and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $799 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
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Pasto Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$799

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $799 in Pasto versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Pasto $799
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,210 in Pasto versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Pasto $1,210
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,622 in Pasto versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Pasto $1,622
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Pasto costs roughly 34% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pasto 41% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 COP 12.6K

$10.76 MX$199

-63.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.79 COP 75.4K

$43.03 MX$795

-44.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 COP 23.7K

$11.79 MX$218

-36.73%

Cappuccino

$1.56 COP 4,934

$3.87 MX$71.4

-59.69%

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

$0.86 COP 2,724

$1.37 MX$25.29

-37.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 COP 1,943

$0.84 MX$15.44

-27.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 COP 3,666

$3.10 MX$57.3

-62.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 COP 6,968

$5.07 MX$93.6

-56.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 COP 3,464

$1.44 MX$26.55

-24.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 COP 4,088

$2.23 MX$41.23

-42.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,744

$1.47 MX$27.17

-19.73%

Eggs

$2.14 COP 6,771

$2.53 MX$46.71

-15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.61 COP 14.6K

$7.30 MX$135

-36.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 COP 16.7K

$7.86 MX$145

-33.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 COP 23.1K

$12.79 MX$236

-43.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 COP 7,748

$2.90 MX$53.6

-15.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 COP 3,302

$1.44 MX$26.53

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 COP 4,108

$2.55 MX$47.07

-49.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 COP 3,379

$2.06 MX$38.03

-48.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 COP 3,648

$2.00 MX$36.97

-42.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 COP 3,586

$2.01 MX$37.07

-43.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 COP 2,537

$1.19 MX$22.02

-32.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,041

$1.26 MX$23.23

-49.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 COP 7,509

$4.40 MX$81.4

-46.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 COP 31.1K

$9.59 MX$177

2.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 COP 3,443

$1.59 MX$29.41

-31.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 COP 5,599

$2.81 MX$51.9

-37.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 COP 2,271

$0.57 MX$10.47

26.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.39 COP 96.4K

$27.82 MX$514

9.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 COP 4,532

$4.98 MX$92.1

-71.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 COP 5,688

$3.50 MX$64.6

-48.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 COP 18.9K

$5.40 MX$99.8

10.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 COP 2,958

$1.47 MX$27.08

-36.73%

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

$18.1K COP 57.2M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-13.97%

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

$25.7K COP 81.6M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

7.70%

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

$83.4 COP 264.4K

$84.2 MX$1,556

-0.97%

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

$8.89 COP 28.2K

$23.99 MX$443

-62.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.38 COP 71.0K

$29.02 MX$536

-22.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.02 COP 73.0K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-63.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 COP 12.3K

$4.94 MX$91.3

-21.26%

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

$235 COP 744.6K

$204 MX$3,763

15.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,071 COP 19.2M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

54.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 COP 185.6K

$43.60 MX$806

34.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.60 COP 103.4K

$43.12 MX$797

-24.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 COP 261.4K

$75.8 MX$1,400

8.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 COP 227.6K

$88.6 MX$1,637

-18.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 COP 851.9K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-73.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 COP 751.4K

$374 MX$6,911

-36.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 COP 1.7M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-68.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 COP 1.3M

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-62.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,429 COP 4.5M

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-63.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,069 COP 3.4M

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-82.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.06

11.45

14.06%

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

Last update for Pasto: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasto

$237 29.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 57.8% $137

Groceries & Markets

Pasto

$173 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 49.2% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasto

$115 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 19.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Pasto

$110 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 2.3% $2.6

Eating Out

Pasto

$89 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 127% $113

Getting Around

Pasto

$44 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 20.4% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Pasto

$31 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 137% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $269 in Pasto and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Pasto vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $258 per month, with Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Pasto

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

Same time as Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

149,923

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pasto Playa del Carmen 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pasto
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

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

Pasto and Playa del Carmen differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($799 vs $1,210 including rent). Pasto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,198 in Pasto and $1,816 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $269 in Pasto versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pasto – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $799 in Pasto versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pasto but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Pasto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Pasto and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pasto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.