Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pisco and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $660 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index
59

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

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Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$660

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $660 per month in Pisco vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pisco $660
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,023 per month in Pisco vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pisco $1,023
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,386 per month in Pisco vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pisco $1,386
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Pisco is about 45% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pisco and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Pisco 51% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 PEN 14.59

$10.86 MX$201

-60.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 PEN 120

$44.21 MX$817

-20.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 PEN 24.37

$11.76 MX$217

-39.71%

Cappuccino

$3.19 PEN 10.95

$3.68 MX$68.0

-13.32%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.69

$1.34 MX$24.79

-20.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$0.82 MX$15.24

-20.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 PEN 9.02

$3.06 MX$56.6

-14.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 PEN 15.21

$4.94 MX$91.2

-10.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.66

$1.47 MX$27.17

12.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.96

$2.22 MX$40.95

4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PEN 4.30

$1.48 MX$27.32

-15.54%

Eggs

$1.30 PEN 4.45

$2.49 MX$45.99

-47.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 PEN 22.50

$7.52 MX$139

-12.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 PEN 16.66

$7.96 MX$147

-39.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 PEN 21.81

$12.57 MX$232

-49.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.61

$2.78 MX$51.3

-51.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.42

$1.43 MX$26.37

-30.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 PEN 4.86

$2.62 MX$48.37

-45.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$2.14 MX$39.49

-73.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$2.02 MX$37.38

-77.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.99 MX$36.74

-54.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.09

$1.14 MX$21.01

-21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 PEN 2.95

$1.20 MX$22.18

-28.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$4.26 MX$78.7

34.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 PEN 29.43

$10.02 MX$185

-14.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 PEN 6.70

$1.54 MX$28.41

26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PEN 8.31

$2.66 MX$49.17

-9.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$0.53 MX$9.73

67.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.26 PEN 121

$27.51 MX$508

28.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 PEN 13.40

$4.90 MX$90.6

-20.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 7.04

$3.43 MX$63.5

-40.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.15 PEN 24.56

$5.38 MX$99.4

32.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 PEN 5.72

$1.45 MX$26.76

15.17%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.7K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

2.80%

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

$26.1K PEN 89.5K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

13.23%

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

$42.69 PEN 147

$85.4 MX$1,577

-49.99%

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

$16.08 PEN 55.2

$23.46 MX$434

-31.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.50 PEN 39.51

$28.43 MX$525

-59.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 PEN 70.1

$62.2 MX$1,149

-67.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.49 PEN 29.15

$28.68 MX$530

-70.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 PEN 25.05

$5.10 MX$94.3

42.94%

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

$178 PEN 611

$201 MX$3,715

-11.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

225.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 PEN 181

$44.39 MX$820

18.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.11 PEN 45.03

$41.35 MX$764

-68.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.22 PEN 159

$72.7 MX$1,344

-36.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.60 PEN 119

$89.6 MX$1,656

-61.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$161 PEN 553

$979 MX$18.1K

-83.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 PEN 448

$373 MX$6,887

-65.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 PEN 504

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-86.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 PEN 6,141

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-54.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,352 PEN 4,642

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-77.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$557 PEN 1,911

$738 MX$13.6K

-24.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.45

-21.92%

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

Last update for Pisco: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pisco

$183 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 41.4% $76

Accommodation & Living

Pisco

$130 19.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 186% $242

Eating Out

Pisco

$122 18.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 63.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pisco

$70 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 95.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Pisco

$66 10%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 69% $46

Getting Around

Pisco

$53 8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 2.4% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Pisco

$35 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 107% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $161 in Pisco versus $979 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.

Salaries run about 33% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Pisco versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $258 – making Pisco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Pisco

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Pisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,917

149,923

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pisco Playa del Carmen 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Pisco
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $660 in Pisco, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $990 per month in Pisco 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 Pisco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Pisco. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $178 per month in Pisco and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pisco, where all-in costs run around $660, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Pisco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $660 in Pisco to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Pisco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.