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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,306 in Perast versus $1,305 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,028 in Perast versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,750 in Perast versus $3,362 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs are close between Perast and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Perast 5% lower, Playa del Carmen 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.52 €9.90

$11.96 MX$202

-3.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.02 €31.83

$47.38 MX$801

-21.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 €8.14

$11.75 MX$199

-19.40%

Cappuccino

$2.22 €1.91

$4.12 MX$69.7

-46.12%

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

$2.65 €2.28

$1.40 MX$23.66

89.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.28

$0.91 MX$15.43

63.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 €2.56

$3.21 MX$54.2

-7.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €2.97

$7.07 MX$120

-51.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.03

$1.68 MX$28.35

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 €0.89

$2.15 MX$36.36

-52.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.77 MX$30.00

21.47%

Eggs

$3.25 €2.79

$2.82 MX$47.60

15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 €7.97

$9.20 MX$156

0.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.85 €6.75

$9.23 MX$156

-14.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 €10.87

$12.64 MX$214

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 €1.20

$2.95 MX$49.90

-52.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.38

$1.58 MX$26.70

1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.44

$2.22 MX$37.58

-24.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.07

$2.36 MX$39.96

2.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 €0.79

$1.99 MX$33.70

-54.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 €0.90

$1.98 MX$33.47

-46.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.37

$1.24 MX$20.97

28.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.70

$1.21 MX$20.48

-32.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 €3.42

$4.60 MX$77.8

-13.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.66 €4.01

$10.52 MX$178

-55.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.96

$1.69 MX$28.60

-33.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.60

$2.77 MX$46.91

-32.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.52

$0.60 MX$10.19

195.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.88 €34.29

$29.70 MX$502

34.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 €0.65

$5.24 MX$88.5

-85.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 €0.67

$3.65 MX$61.7

-78.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.45 €9.84

$5.78 MX$97.8

98.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.53

$1.54 MX$26.01

15.58%

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

$31.1K €26.7K

$22.8K MX$385.5K

36.26%

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

$22.5K €19.4K

$25.8K MX$436.5K

-12.81%

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

$129 €110

$90.7 MX$1,533

41.73%

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

$13.28 €11.42

$25.19 MX$426

-47.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 €30.39

$31.75 MX$537

11.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 €40.63

$68.8 MX$1,163

-31.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.96 €12.86

$29.37 MX$497

-49.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 €5.77

$4.86 MX$82.2

38.07%

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

$370 €318

$226 MX$3,816

63.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,175 €6,169

$4,194 MX$70.9K

71.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €75.6

$47.38 MX$801

85.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.06 €30.14

$43.45 MX$735

-19.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 €64.6

$80.2 MX$1,356

-6.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 €83.9

$91.4 MX$1,545

6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$688 €592

$1,086 MX$18.4K

-36.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 €415

$409 MX$6,910

18.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 €1,146

$1,972 MX$33.3K

-32.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$983 €845

$1,281 MX$21.7K

-23.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,568 €3,067

$4,046 MX$68.4K

-11.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,406 €2,069

$6,704 MX$113.4K

-64.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 MX$13.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-56.33%

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

Last update for Perast: September 7, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $688 in Perast and $1,086 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37.00 in Perast vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $278 per month, with Perast cheaper across the board.

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

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

You'd need roughly $1,959 in Perast and $1,958 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: $688 in Perast versus $1,086 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $370 in Perast versus $226 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 $47.00 versus $37.00 in Perast. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,305 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,306 in Perast, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Perast. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,305 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Perast 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Perast on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.