Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Atlantida

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,477 in Atlantida, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Atlantida
Learn more

Atlantida Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Atlantida

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,477 in Atlantida, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Atlantida $1,477

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,294 in Atlantida, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Atlantida $2,294

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,111 in Atlantida, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Atlantida $3,111

Playa del Carmen is about 18% cheaper than Atlantida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Atlantida is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.00 UYU 522

-16.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$44.38 UYU 1,783

-2.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$12.62 UYU 507

-6.66%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.16 UYU 127

20.57%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.91 UYU 76.6

-32.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.13 UYU 45.40

-30.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.90 UYU 116

9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.58 UYU 144

37.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.29 UYU 52.0

9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.68 UYU 108

-17.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.44 UYU 57.9

-1.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$4.52 UYU 182

-44.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$12.10 UYU 486

-40.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$8.20 UYU 330

-6.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$10.81 UYU 435

17.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.70 UYU 109

2.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.19 UYU 88.0

-37.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.13 UYU 45.57

125.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.85 UYU 115

-25.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.72 UYU 69.3

12.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.02 UYU 81.3

-6.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.25 UYU 50.4

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.86 UYU 74.7

-36.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$5.12 UYU 206

-16.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.72 UYU 270

48.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.89 UYU 76.1

-16.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.51 UYU 101

6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$2.11 UYU 84.8

-73.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$49.07 UYU 1,972

-45.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.50 UYU 101

98.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$3.45 UYU 139

-3.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$9.86 UYU 396

-45.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.96 UYU 78.7

-26.53%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$36.6K UYU 1.5M

-43.54%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$36.8K UYU 1.5M

-36.21%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$86.6 UYU 3,479

-2.06%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$23.96 UYU 963

-2.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$32.26 UYU 1,297

-11.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$62.0 UYU 2,491

-7.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$17.15 UYU 689

68.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$11.77 UYU 473

-56.33%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$504 UYU 20.3K

-59.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$6,644 UYU 267.0K

-40.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$74.6 UYU 2,998

-41.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$74.4 UYU 2,988

-44.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$166 UYU 6,683

-55.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$116 UYU 4,658

-22.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$658 UYU 26.4K

48.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$481 UYU 19.3K

-20.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,253 UYU 50.4K

36.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$857 UYU 34.4K

25.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$2,030 UYU 81.6K

94.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,523 UYU 61.2K

304.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$514 UYU 20.6K

43.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

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 Atlantida: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Atlantida

$481 32.5% 26.2% $100

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Atlantida

$283 19.2% 11.2% $29

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Atlantida

$214 14.5% 5.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Atlantida

$143 9.7% 4.3% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Atlantida

$194 13.1% 73.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Atlantida

$86 5.8% 27% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Atlantida

$77 5.2% 53.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $658 in Atlantida. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 43% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Atlantida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $283 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇾 Atlantida

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

14:06 2:06 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

6,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 40.19 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.88 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Atlantida 6,990 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Atlantida

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 Atlantida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Atlantida is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,216 in Atlantida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atlantida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $658 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,477 in Atlantida. That makes Playa del Carmen about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $504 in Atlantida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,477 in Atlantida. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.