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 1.8% cheaper than Assela without rent, and 54.5% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 8.6% cheaper than Assela without rent, and 81.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$4.49 ETB 698
158.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$35.20 ETB 5,478
21.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$6.31 ETB 982
67.99%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$1.28 ETB 200
180.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.63 ETB 98.0
130.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.46 ETB 72.4
95.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.03 ETB 160
194.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$3.04 ETB 473
50.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.44 ETB 225
0.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.34 ETB 208
36.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$2.19 ETB 341
-26.48%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.50 ETB 389
1.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$7.10 ETB 1,105
20.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$13.85 ETB 2,156
-38.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$13.23 ETB 2,060
-17.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$6.73 ETB 1,047
-59.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$0.96 ETB 149
55.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$2.24 ETB 349
-13.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$0.98 ETB 153
120.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$0.69 ETB 107
168.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.91 ETB 297
14.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.68 ETB 106
57.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.63 ETB 98.4
71.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$4.02 ETB 626
1.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$5.76 ETB 896
81.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.01 ETB 157
63.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.89 ETB 294
34.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.50 ETB 233
109.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.27 ETB 41.93
777.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$2.05 ETB 319
58.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.24 ETB 193
5.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$55.1K ETB 8.6M
-44.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$53.9K ETB 8.4M
-55.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$161 ETB 25.1K
-48.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$11.84 ETB 1,843
87.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$128 ETB 19.9K
-77.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$5.80 ETB 903
-15.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$82.7 ETB 12.9K
140.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$39.8K ETB 6.2M
-86.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$47.67 ETB 7,421
-24.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$75.4 ETB 11.7K
-47.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$92.1 ETB 14.3K
-12.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$114 ETB 17.7K
-23.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Assela
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
-
-
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Assela: April 12, 2026

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

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