Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Antigua Guatemala

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Antigua Guatemala: $1,210 and $1,267 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Antigua Guatemala
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Antigua Guatemala Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Antigua Guatemala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,267 in Antigua Guatemala.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Antigua Guatemala $1,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,106 in Antigua Guatemala.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Antigua Guatemala $2,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,945 in Antigua Guatemala.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Antigua Guatemala $2,945

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 4% less than in Antigua Guatemala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Antigua Guatemala 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$6.60 Q 50.4

63.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$51.4 Q 393

-16.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$7.91 Q 60.5

49.05%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.24 Q 24.80

19.44%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.16 Q 8.84

18.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.92 Q 7.00

-8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.18 Q 24.35

-2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.67 Q 35.68

8.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.10 Q 16.02

-31.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$3.14 Q 24.00

-28.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.96 Q 15.00

-25.00%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.32 Q 17.74

9.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$5.42 Q 41.44

34.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$9.21 Q 70.4

-14.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.21 Q 78.0

25.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.86 Q 29.55

-24.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.64 Q 12.57

-12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.81 Q 21.50

-9.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.66 Q 12.66

24.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.47 Q 11.24

36.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.73 Q 13.23

16.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.69 Q 5.31

72.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.21 Q 9.29

4.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.84 Q 29.36

14.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$7.69 Q 58.8

24.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.79 Q 13.67

-11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.71 Q 20.76

3.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$2.58 Q 19.76

-77.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$4.69 Q 35.84

6.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$10.63 Q 81.2

-49.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.33 Q 10.16

10.53%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$22.7K Q 173.6K

-7.60%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$21.8K Q 166.8K

9.59%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$57.4 Q 439

46.73%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$29.74 Q 227

-19.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$45.70 Q 349

-36.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$41.50 Q 317

51.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$28.20 Q 216

3.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$6.39 Q 48.83

-22.69%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$346 Q 2,645

-41.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,755 Q 51.6K

-41.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$44.31 Q 339

-1.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$48.03 Q 367

-10.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$92.1 Q 704

-17.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$80.0 Q 611

10.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$865 Q 6,610

16.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$531 Q 4,059

-29.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,864 Q 14.3K

-8.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,180 Q 9,024

-6.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$3,064 Q 23.4K

28.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,227 Q 9,385

402.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$626 Q 4,786

20.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.62

-1.46%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Antigua Guatemala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Antigua Guatemala

$531 41.9% 41.9% $157

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Antigua Guatemala

$266 21% 3% $7.6

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Antigua Guatemala

$149 11.8% 26.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Antigua Guatemala

$133 10.5% 3.2% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Antigua Guatemala

$119 9.4% 5.3% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3% 25.5% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2% 71.4% $38

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 $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $865 in Antigua Guatemala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $51.0 in Antigua Guatemala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $266 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

46,054

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Antigua Guatemala 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Antigua Guatemala

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 Antigua Guatemala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Antigua Guatemala differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $1,267 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $865 in Antigua Guatemala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $346 in Antigua Guatemala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $51.0 in Antigua Guatemala. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,267 in Antigua Guatemala, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Antigua Guatemala. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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 Antigua Guatemala 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 Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Antigua Guatemala. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.