Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Atotonilco el Alto

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Atotonilco el Alto: $1,204 and $1,224 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Atotonilco el Alto
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Atotonilco el Alto Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Atotonilco el Alto

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 Atotonilco el Alto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Atotonilco el Alto $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,963 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Atotonilco el Alto $1,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,703 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Atotonilco el Alto $2,703

Monthly costs are close between Playa del Carmen and Atotonilco el Alto; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Atotonilco el Alto 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$10.57 MX$198

3.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$63.3 MX$1,187

-31.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.16 MX$172

28.60%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$3.68 MX$69.0

3.53%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.53 MX$28.73

-16.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$1.03 MX$19.25

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$3.15 MX$59.1

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$5.49 MX$103

-10.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.92 MX$36.06

-26.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$2.64 MX$49.47

-15.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.97 MX$36.85

-27.92%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.70 MX$50.5

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.59 MX$161

-15.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$8.92 MX$167

-13.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.63 MX$255

-6.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$3.46 MX$64.8

-19.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.63 MX$30.56

-15.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$2.19 MX$40.99

16.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.92 MX$35.98

10.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.79 MX$33.56

8.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.80 MX$33.77

5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.45 MX$27.13

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.20 MX$22.56

-1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$4.46 MX$83.6

-3.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$17.38 MX$326

-42.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.09 MX$39.17

-24.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.97 MX$74.4

-32.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.63 MX$11.77

-12.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$32.79 MX$614

-18.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$3.18 MX$59.6

56.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$2.64 MX$49.39

26.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$10.88 MX$204

-50.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.49 MX$28.01

-3.36%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$24.6K MX$460.6K

-15.92%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$23.2K MX$434.4K

1.23%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$56.9 MX$1,065

49.15%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$26.54 MX$497

-11.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$24.36 MX$456

17.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$30.94 MX$580

84.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$21.94 MX$411

31.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$7.30 MX$137

-29.59%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$257 MX$4,822

-19.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$5,041 MX$94.5K

-22.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$52.7 MX$988

-17.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$44.51 MX$834

-6.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$100 MX$1,876

-25.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$95.6 MX$1,791

-6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$519 MX$9,725

88.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$390 MX$7,317

-2.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,156 MX$21.7K

47.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$667 MX$12.5K

61.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$1,623 MX$30.4K

142.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$1,218 MX$22.8K

405.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.99

-4.50%

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 Atotonilco el Alto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Atotonilco el Alto

$390 31.9% 2.5% $9.6

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Atotonilco el Alto

$303 24.8% 19.1% $49

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Atotonilco el Alto

$193 15.8% 4.5% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Atotonilco el Alto

$108 8.8% 21.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Atotonilco el Alto

$132 10.8% 18% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Atotonilco el Alto

$46 3.7% 32.3% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Atotonilco el Alto

$52 4.2% 2.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $63 in Atotonilco el Alto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $303 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Atotonilco el Alto

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

26,874

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Atotonilco el Alto 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Atotonilco el Alto

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 Atotonilco el Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,836 in Atotonilco el Alto to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $257 in Atotonilco el Alto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $63 in Atotonilco el Alto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.