Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Antofagasta

For one person, living is cheaper in Antofagasta: $888 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Antofagasta
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Antofagasta Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Antofagasta

🇨🇱 Chile

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $888 in Antofagasta.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Antofagasta $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,416 in Antofagasta.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Antofagasta $1,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,944 in Antofagasta.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Antofagasta $1,944

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 36% more expensive than in Antofagasta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Antofagasta 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$7.05 CLP 6,935

52.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$35.93 CLP 35.4K

19.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$7.29 CLP 7,179

61.73%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.57 CLP 2,528

50.58%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.28 CLP 1,264

7.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.88 CLP 862

-4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.51 CLP 1,488

105.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$1.79 CLP 1,765

183.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.07 CLP 1,054

34.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.86 CLP 1,834

19.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.22 CLP 1,199

20.49%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.59 CLP 2,553

-2.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.02 CLP 8,878

-19.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.31 CLP 3,260

137.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$7.72 CLP 7,599

65.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.03 CLP 1,996

42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.26 CLP 2,223

-36.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.85 CLP 2,809

-10.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.10 CLP 1,081

87.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.88 CLP 864

127.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.78 CLP 772

157.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.30 CLP 1,283

-8.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.12 CLP 1,102

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$5.29 CLP 5,209

-16.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$5.13 CLP 5,048

86.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.35 CLP 1,328

17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.01 CLP 992

178.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.62 CLP 613

-8.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.63 CLP 2,584

89.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.34 CLP 1,318

9.70%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$17.5K CLP 17.2M

36.59%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$46.23 CLP 45.5K

82.15%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$9.82 CLP 9,669

144.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$12.54 CLP 12.3K

131.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$41.34 CLP 40.7K

52.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$25.15 CLP 24.8K

15.86%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.17 CLP 5,086

-4.45%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$255 CLP 250.6K

-20.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$3,160 CLP 3.1M

24.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$39.01 CLP 38.4K

11.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$15.18 CLP 14.9K

184.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$58.3 CLP 57.4K

30.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$67.7 CLP 66.6K

30.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$437 CLP 430.0K

130.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$359 CLP 352.9K

4.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$811 CLP 798.7K

110.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$659 CLP 648.9K

67.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$711 CLP 700.2K

6.02%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Antofagasta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Antofagasta

$359 40.4% 4.1% $15

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Antofagasta

$194 21.8% 25% $65

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Antofagasta

$129 14.5% 36.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Antofagasta

$69 7.7% 50% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Antofagasta

$81 9.1% 28.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Antofagasta

$52 5.8% 29.1% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Antofagasta

$5.1 * 0.6% 90.3% $47

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 $437 in Antofagasta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 6% 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: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $36.00 in Antofagasta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $194 per month, with Antofagasta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇱 Antofagasta

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

348,517

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Antofagasta 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Antofagasta

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 Antofagasta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antofagasta wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Antofagasta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% 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 $437 in Antofagasta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $255 in Antofagasta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Antofagasta – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $888 in Antofagasta versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Antofagasta but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Antofagasta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Antofagasta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $888 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Antofagasta hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Antofagasta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.