Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Amritsar

For one person, living is cheaper in Amritsar: $426 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Amritsar
Learn more

Amritsar Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Amritsar

🇮🇳 India

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $426 in Amritsar.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Amritsar $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $680 in Amritsar.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Amritsar $680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $934 in Amritsar.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Amritsar $934

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 183% more expensive than in Amritsar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Amritsar 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.08 ₹198

425.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$8.42 ₹802

415.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$3.45 ₹329

241.45%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.90 ₹180

100.53%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.40 ₹38.02

220.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.20 ₹19.02

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.57 ₹149

101.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.10 ₹295

59.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.68 ₹65.1

107.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.55 ₹52.0

303.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.86 ₹81.9

65.12%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$0.85 ₹81.1

196.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$4.32 ₹411

68.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.80 ₹267

175.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.64 ₹156

69.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.76 ₹72.3

80.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.63 ₹59.6

304.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.44 ₹42.33

381.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.28 ₹26.34

592.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.32 ₹30.26

490.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.33 ₹31.86

248.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.32 ₹30.52

268.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.93 ₹470

-12.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.76 ₹1,119

-15.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.65 ₹157

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.71 ₹258

-1.48%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.46 ₹520

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.36 ₹33.92

52.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$21.36 ₹2,034

24.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.07 ₹102

364.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.22 ₹20.98

1413.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$1.66 ₹158

222.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.08 ₹103

33.33%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

82.09%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$25.3K ₹2.4M

-7.10%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$38.82 ₹3,696

118.42%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$2.99 ₹284

682.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$6.79 ₹647

322.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$29.42 ₹2,802

93.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$5.17 ₹493

459.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$3.07 ₹292

67.43%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$38.98 ₹3,711

429.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$606 ₹57.7K

547.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$26.94 ₹2,566

60.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$25.23 ₹2,403

64.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$54.0 ₹5,141

37.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$43.71 ₹4,162

104.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$107 ₹10.2K

816.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$75.9 ₹7,226

401.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$282 ₹26.8K

506.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$211 ₹20.1K

409.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,142 ₹108.7K

245.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$821 ₹78.1K

650.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$701 ₹66.8K

4.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

43.12%

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 Amritsar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Amritsar

$76 17.8% 80.1% $305

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Amritsar

$107 25.2% 57.8% $147

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Amritsar

$66 15.5% 67.3% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Amritsar

$49 11.4% 64.5% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Amritsar

$67 15.8% 39.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Amritsar

$36 8.4% 47.2% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Amritsar

$25 5.9% 50.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $107 in Amritsar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $8 in Amritsar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $107 per month, with Amritsar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇳 Amritsar

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

04:33 4:33 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,132,761

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Amritsar 13,890 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Amritsar

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 Amritsar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amritsar wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Amritsar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $107 in Amritsar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Amritsar – a meal for two runs $8 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $426 in Amritsar – Amritsar is about 65% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $426 in Amritsar versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Amritsar but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Amritsar 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.

Expats usually find Amritsar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.