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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Pau is 5.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 27.7% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Pau is 28.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 5.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Pau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.44 โ‚ฌ14.19
$11.99 MX$227
37.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.6 โ‚ฌ44.54
$42.47 MX$803
21.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.46 โ‚ฌ9.9
$10.47 MX$198
9.46%
Cappuccino
$3.39 โ‚ฌ2.93
$3.6 MX$68.2
-5.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.4 โ‚ฌ2.94
$1.44 MX$27.16
136.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 โ‚ฌ1.68
$0.89 MX$16.79
119.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.89 โ‚ฌ5.08
$3.09 MX$58.5
90.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.99 โ‚ฌ3.45
$4.58 MX$86.6
-12.88%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Pau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 โ‚ฌ1.09
$1.38 MX$26.04
-7.97%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 โ‚ฌ2.05
$1.85 MX$34.9
28.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.79 โ‚ฌ1.54
$1.57 MX$29.68
14.01%
Eggs
$4.86 โ‚ฌ4.19
$2.55 MX$48.3
90.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.42 โ‚ฌ11.59
$8.61 MX$163
55.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.26 โ‚ฌ10.59
$8.54 MX$161
43.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.94 โ‚ฌ22.4
$10.98 MX$208
136.25%
Apples (1kg)
$3.21 โ‚ฌ2.77
$2.72 MX$51.4
18.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 โ‚ฌ1.49
$1.51 MX$28.57
14.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 โ‚ฌ1.92
$1.88 MX$35.63
18.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.34 โ‚ฌ2.88
$2.19 MX$41.42
52.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.75 โ‚ฌ1.51
$1.87 MX$35.3
-6.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 โ‚ฌ1.94
$2.19 MX$41.37
2.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.3 โ‚ฌ1.13
$1.07 MX$20.23
21.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 โ‚ฌ0.79
$1.09 MX$20.64
-15.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.63 โ‚ฌ10.9
$3.96 MX$74.9
218.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.04 โ‚ฌ6.08
$8.86 MX$167
-20.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 โ‚ฌ2.19
$1.72 MX$32.53
47.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 โ‚ฌ2.9
$2.61 MX$49.37
28.74%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Pau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.36 โ‚ฌ1.18
$0.52 MX$9.74
161.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.76 โ‚ฌ22.25
$26.59 MX$503
-3.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.7 โ‚ฌ4.06
$3.24 MX$61.2
45.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.56 โ‚ฌ2.21
$2.38 MX$44.94
7.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.28 โ‚ฌ14.92
$3.11 MX$58.7
455.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 โ‚ฌ1.82
$1.31 MX$24.85
61.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K โ‚ฌ25.3K
$30.3K MX$573K
-3.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K โ‚ฌ29.8K
$24K MX$453.6K
43.94%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$182 โ‚ฌ158
$84.2 MX$1,592
116.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.87 โ‚ฌ27.52
$22.14 MX$419
43.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.95 โ‚ฌ33.63
$30.14 MX$570
29.23%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Pau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.61 โ‚ฌ35.06
$52 MX$983
-21.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.57 โ‚ฌ16.03
$18.72 MX$354
-0.80%
Cinema Ticket
$11.1 โ‚ฌ9.59
$5.07 MX$95.9
118.93%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Pau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$776 โ‚ฌ670
$200 MX$3,787
287.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,573 โ‚ฌ3,948
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-14.25%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Pau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 โ‚ฌ90.7
$35.74 MX$676
193.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.48 โ‚ฌ34.95
$39.8 MX$753
1.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.7 โ‚ฌ75.7
$79 MX$1,493
10.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80 โ‚ฌ69
$88.4 MX$1,671
-9.53%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Pau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$742 โ‚ฌ641
$965 MX$18.3K
-23.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$462 โ‚ฌ399
$474 MX$8,968
-2.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,087 โ‚ฌ938
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-34.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$709 โ‚ฌ612
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-41.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,231 โ‚ฌ3,653
$3,081 MX$58.3K
37.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,524 โ‚ฌ3,043
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-53.19%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Pau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,190 โ‚ฌ1,891
$792 MX$15K
176.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.62
11.42
-68.30%

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

Last update for Pau: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.