Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Acre

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,841 in Acre, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Acre, Israel
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Acre
🇮🇱 Israel
$2,841
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Acre

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Acre actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,841 in Acre.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Acre $2,841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,111 in Acre.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Acre $4,111

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,382 in Acre.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Acre $5,382

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 58% less than in Acre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Acre is 109% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Acre
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$25.65 ₪80.5
-57.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$814
$105 ₪328
-58.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$19.78 ₪62.1
-40.44%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.5
$4.67 ₪14.64
-18.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.07
$3.39 ₪10.63
-62.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.70
$3.12 ₪9.79
-75.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$10.66 ₪33.47
-70.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$10.54 ₪33.06
-53.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Acre
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.40
$2.48 ₪7.77
-43.15%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.62
$3.68 ₪11.56
-39.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.61
$3.80 ₪11.92
-62.63%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.36
$5.04 ₪15.81
-50.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$16.92 ₪53.1
-57.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$12.70 ₪39.84
-39.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$23.77 ₪74.6
-46.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$4.49 ₪14.08
-38.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.68
$2.92 ₪9.16
-53.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.89
$2.30 ₪7.22
10.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.86
$2.50 ₪7.86
-15.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$1.85 ₪5.79
4.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.41
$1.79 ₪5.62
5.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.53
$2.35 ₪7.38
-51.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.13
$2.57 ₪8.07
-54.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.6
$13.19 ₪41.40
-67.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$15.08 ₪47.31
-34.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.73
$3.20 ₪10.04
-50.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$4.96 ₪15.57
-46.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Acre
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.39
$2.65 ₪8.33
-79.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$98.6 ₪309
-73.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.3
$4.25 ₪13.33
16.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$1.15 ₪3.61
189.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$19.17 ₪60.2
-72.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.11
$2.58 ₪8.09
-44.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.0K
$56.2K ₪176.3K
-63.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.5K
$54.8K ₪171.9K
-57.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Acre
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,592
$256 ₪802
-66.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$11.83 ₪37.12
97.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$538
$36.32 ₪114
-21.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Acre
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,071
$85.3 ₪268
-33.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.5
$15.71 ₪49.31
-67.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Acre
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,878
$1,177 ₪3,693
-82.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.7K
$30.4K ₪95.5K
-87.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Acre
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$814
$112 ₪353
-61.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$778
$71.7 ₪225
-42.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,393
$134 ₪420
-44.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,676
$155 ₪485
-42.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Acre
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,452 ₪4,555
-32.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,150
$1,217 ₪3,821
-68.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$2,656 ₪8,335
-35.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$1,722 ₪5,404
-37.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.0K
$10.1K ₪31.6K
-60.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.6K
$7,609 ₪23.9K
-19.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Acre
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5.04
127.18%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Acre: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Acre
$1.2K 220% $837
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Acre
$450 76.5% $195
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Acre
$421 108% $219
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Acre
$304 122% $167
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Acre
$213 90.3% $101
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Acre
$117 73.4% $49
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Acre
$119 136% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,452 in Acre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $105 in Acre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $450 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇱 Acre
🕒 Local time
10:49 10:49 AM
17:49 5:49 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
55,974
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.14 ILS (1 ILS = 0.319 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.285 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Acre 11,460 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Acre

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
Playa del Carmen vs Acre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Acre?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Acre. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Acre?
You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $4,261 in Acre 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Acre?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,452 in Acre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Acre?
Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Acre. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Acre?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $105 in Acre. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Acre?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,841 in Acre, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Acre. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Acre?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Acre. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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