Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Azcapotzalco

For one person, living is cheaper in Azcapotzalco: $1,140 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Azcapotzalco
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Azcapotzalco Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Azcapotzalco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,140 in Azcapotzalco.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Azcapotzalco $1,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,829 in Azcapotzalco.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Azcapotzalco $1,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,517 in Azcapotzalco.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Azcapotzalco $2,517

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 6% more expensive than in Azcapotzalco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Azcapotzalco 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$10.83 MX$200

-0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$43.07 MX$796

-0.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$8.68 MX$160

35.83%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.62 MX$66.9

6.91%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.41 MX$26.13

-2.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.07 MX$19.75

-21.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.50 MX$46.21

24.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.97 MX$73.4

27.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.66 MX$30.71

-13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.67 MX$49.35

-16.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.65 MX$30.43

-10.91%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.54 MX$46.86

-0.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.06 MX$149

-9.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$8.38 MX$155

-6.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$11.72 MX$217

9.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.75 MX$50.8

5.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.56 MX$28.82

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.86 MX$34.45

37.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.78 MX$32.94

15.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.01 MX$37.22

-0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.89 MX$34.89

6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.48 MX$27.38

-19.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.08 MX$19.96

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.26 MX$78.7

3.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$10.49 MX$194

-8.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.73 MX$31.95

-8.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.06 MX$56.6

-8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.69 MX$12.76

-17.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.63 MX$48.59

89.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.95 MX$35.99

79.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$11.65 MX$215

-53.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.45 MX$26.77

1.38%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$21.5K MX$396.7K

-2.24%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$24.1K MX$445.6K

-0.86%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$58.5 MX$1,081

43.92%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$23.16 MX$428

3.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$29.55 MX$546

-1.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$34.65 MX$640

81.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$19.76 MX$365

47.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.19 MX$95.9

-4.82%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$217 MX$4,004

-6.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$4,543 MX$83.9K

-13.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$54.5 MX$1,008

-20.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$41.10 MX$759

4.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$101 MX$1,860

-24.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$89.8 MX$1,659

-1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$607 MX$11.2K

66.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$388 MX$7,176

-3.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,024 MX$18.9K

66.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$755 MX$14.0K

46.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,940 MX$35.8K

103.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,161 MX$21.5K

431.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,728 MX$31.9K

-56.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.3

1.33%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Azcapotzalco: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Azcapotzalco

$388 34.1% 3.8% $14

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Azcapotzalco

$265 23.3% 2.6% $6.8

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Azcapotzalco

$186 16.4% 7.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Azcapotzalco

$111 9.8% 18.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Azcapotzalco

$129 11.3% 13.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Azcapotzalco

$45 4% 38.2% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Azcapotzalco

$15 * 1.3% 71.2% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $607 in Azcapotzalco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Azcapotzalco pays 129% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $43.00 in Azcapotzalco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $265 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Azcapotzalco

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

19:24 7:24 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

432,205

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Azcapotzalco 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Azcapotzalco

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 Azcapotzalco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Azcapotzalco differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $1,140 including rent). Azcapotzalco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 129% lower in Azcapotzalco. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $607 in Azcapotzalco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,140 in Azcapotzalco – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,140 in Azcapotzalco versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Azcapotzalco but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Azcapotzalco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Azcapotzalco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.