Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Altos

For one person, living is cheaper in Altos: $249 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Altos

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$249

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $249 in Altos.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Altos $249

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $373 in Altos.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Altos $373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $497 in Altos.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Altos $497

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 384% more expensive than in Altos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Altos 82% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.48 ₲2,851

193.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.91 ₲5,437

143.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$0.98 ₲5,842

44.90%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.88 ₲11.2K

34.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$5.98 ₲35.7K

21.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.45 ₲20.6K

123.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$5.63 ₲33.6K

125.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.38 ₲14.2K

16.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.31 ₲7,827

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.43 ₲8,537

78.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.84 ₲11.0K

15.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.16 ₲6,931

67.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.39 ₲8,296

35.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.17 ₲6,969

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.87 ₲5,166

35.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$0.96 ₲5,729

347.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.11 ₲48.4K

22.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.73 ₲4,344

116.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$0.84 ₲4,983

217.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.39 ₲2,302

41.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$11.80 ₲70.4K

125.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.71 ₲10.2K

190.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.72 ₲4,266

362.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.12 ₲6,710

28.57%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$19.1K ₲113.9M

8.21%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$23.8K ₲142.2M

-1.56%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$34.79 ₲207.5K

143.72%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$7.91 ₲47.2K

195.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$13.81 ₲82.4K

107.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$3.58 ₲21.3K

43.58%

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$25.46 ₲151.9K

70.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,480 ₲8.8M

166.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$998 ₲6.0M

516.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$491 ₲2.9M

49.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

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 Altos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Altos

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Altos

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Altos

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Altos

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Altos

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Altos

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Altos

–

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays 50% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇾 Altos

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,763

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,660 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Altos 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Altos

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 Altos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Altos is about 79% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

A monthly transit pass in Altos runs roughly 56% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $249 in Altos versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Altos but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Altos 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.

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