Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Aguada

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Aguada: $1,215 and $1,176 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Aguada
Learn more

Aguada Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Aguada

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Aguada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,176 in Aguada.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Aguada $1,176

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,209 in Aguada.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Aguada $1,209

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,242 in Aguada.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Aguada $1,242

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 3% more expensive than in Aguada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Aguada 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$11.10 $11.10

-1.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$11.88 $11.88

0.34%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.02 $2.02

88.12%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.05 $2.05

-36.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.02 $1.02

-15.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$1.54 $1.54

108.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$2.94 $2.94

70.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.70 $1.70

-14.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.48 $2.48

-6.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$4.41 $4.41

-44.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.91 $0.91

69.23%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$251 $251

-66.74%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$60.6 $60.6

-60.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$55.6 $55.6

16.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$5.93 $5.93

-14.17%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$509 $509

-59.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$35.56 $35.56

25.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$39.63 $39.63

6.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$81.3 $81.3

-7.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$99.5 $99.5

-8.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$501 $501

96.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$456 $456

-15.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$2,184 $2,184

-65.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Aguada: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Aguada

$456 38.5% 18.4% $71

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Aguada

$59 * 5% 77.2% $201

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Aguada

$175 14.7% 14.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Aguada

$312 * 26.3% 128% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Aguada

$115 9.7% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Aguada

$68 5.7% 10% $7.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Aguada

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $501 in Aguada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguada pays 188% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Aguada

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

08:30 8:30 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

41,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Aguada 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Aguada

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 Aguada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Aguada differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,215 vs $1,176 including rent). Aguada is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 188% lower in Aguada. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $501 in Aguada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $208 in Playa del Carmen versus $509 in Aguada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,176 in Aguada – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,176 in Aguada versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aguada but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Aguada 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, Playa del Carmen and Aguada 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 Aguada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.