Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Artemisa

For one person, living is cheaper in Artemisa: $569 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Artemisa
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Artemisa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Artemisa

🇨🇺 Cuba

$569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $569 in Artemisa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Artemisa $569

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $900 in Artemisa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Artemisa $900

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,231 in Artemisa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Artemisa $1,231

Playa del Carmen costs about 111% more than Artemisa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Artemisa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Artemisa 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.56 CUP 85.6

206.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$25.10 CUP 602

72.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.98 CUP 120

136.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.02 CUP 24.45

273.53%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.53 CUP 36.67

-16.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.92 CUP 22.18

-15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.18 CUP 28.36

168.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.96 CUP 46.99

151.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.68 CUP 64.4

-47.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.41 CUP 33.86

57.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.72 CUP 41.23

-17.44%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.60 CUP 86.4

-30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$4.53 CUP 109

60.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.63 CUP 111

66.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$8.36 CUP 201

51.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$5.94 CUP 143

-53.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.01 CUP 24.25

35.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.99 CUP 95.8

-36.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.28 CUP 54.6

-7.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.80 CUP 67.2

-30.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.67 CUP 64.2

-29.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.78 CUP 18.65

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.57 CUP 13.77

107.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.60 CUP 38.49

168.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$5.36 CUP 129

85.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.71 CUP 41.07

-7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.04 CUP 49.08

30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.67 CUP 64.0

86.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.34 CUP 8.06

879.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$19.90 CUP 477

-73.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.27 CUP 30.37

13.39%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$60.0K CUP 1.4M

-65.56%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$59.9K CUP 1.4M

-60.84%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$46.50 CUP 1,116

82.34%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$39.39 CUP 945

-40.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$89.5 CUP 2,149

-67.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$0.82 CUP 19.76

526.83%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$153 CUP 3,678

34.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$12.6K CUP 302.3K

-68.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$20.03 CUP 481

116.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$10.09 CUP 242

310.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$78.5 CUP 1,885

-5.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$65.8 CUP 1,578

35.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

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$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.1

25.82%

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 Artemisa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Artemisa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Artemisa

$234 41.1% 8.1% $21

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Artemisa

$75 13.2% 62.8% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Artemisa

$175 30.8% 28.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Artemisa

$78 13.8% 29.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Artemisa

$1.7 * 0.3% 97.5% $66

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Artemisa

$4.4 * 0.8% 91.4% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $25 in Artemisa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $234 – making Artemisa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇺 Artemisa

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

48,897

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.88 CUP (100 CUP = 3.72 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Artemisa 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Artemisa

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 Artemisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $569 in Artemisa – Artemisa comes out roughly 53% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $854 in Artemisa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $569 in Artemisa. That makes Artemisa about 53% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $153 in Artemisa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Artemisa, where all-in costs run around $569, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Artemisa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $569 in Artemisa to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.