Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Assela Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Assela

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 15.6% more expensive than Assela without rent, and 52.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 17.6% more expensive than Assela without rent, and 83.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$4.46 ETB 695
165.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$35.69 ETB 5,562
18.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$6.46 ETB 1,007
66.41%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$1.24 ETB 193
179.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.64 ETB 100
126.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.47 ETB 73.1
91.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$0.98 ETB 153
211.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$3.04 ETB 473
45.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.39 ETB 216
-1.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.28 ETB 200
46.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$2.18 ETB 339
-29.36%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.52 ETB 393
-0.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$7.08 ETB 1,104
21.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$14.01 ETB 2,183
-38.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$13.28 ETB 2,070
-17.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$6.90 ETB 1,075
-60.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$0.98 ETB 153
45.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$2.23 ETB 348
-16.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$0.92 ETB 143
135.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$0.64 ETB 100
193.75%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.88 ETB 294
19.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.64 ETB 99.7
67.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.64 ETB 99.5
67.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$4.09 ETB 638
1.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$6.32 ETB 984
63.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$0.99 ETB 155
69.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$1.81 ETB 283
37.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$1.49 ETB 232
116.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$0.29 ETB 45.20
755.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$1.95 ETB 303
59.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.25 ETB 195
0.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$54.7K ETB 8.5M
-43.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$52.8K ETB 8.2M
-54.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$163 ETB 25.3K
-49.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$12.22 ETB 1,904
82.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$130 ETB 20.3K
-76.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$5.68 ETB 886
-12.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$82.0 ETB 12.8K
144.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$40.0K ETB 6.2M
-86.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$47.00 ETB 7,323
-24.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$74.3 ETB 11.6K
-46.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$93.0 ETB 14.5K
-13.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$112 ETB 17.5K
-21.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
17
-32.82%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Assela: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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