Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bahia de Caraquez

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez: $873 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Bahia de Caraquez
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Bahia de Caraquez Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bahia de Caraquez

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $873 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bahia de Caraquez $873

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,437 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bahia de Caraquez $1,437

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,002 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bahia de Caraquez $2,002

Playa del Carmen costs about 38% more than Bahia de Caraquez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Bahia de Caraquez are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bahia de Caraquez 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.97 $3.97

168.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$53.2 $53.2

-17.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.82 $8.82

33.67%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.79 $2.79

35.84%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.92 $0.92

41.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.68 $0.68

22.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.98 $2.98

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.20 $4.20

17.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.21 $1.21

16.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.01 $2.01

9.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.41 $1.41

4.26%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.08 $2.08

20.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.89 $6.89

5.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.21 $5.21

52.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$8.99 $8.99

43.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.52 $1.52

90.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.16 $1.16

18.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.02 $1.02

144.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$0.95 $0.95

113.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.27 $1.27

59.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.92 $0.92

106.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.83 $0.83

37.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.93 $0.93

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$5.83 $5.83

-26.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$11.84 $11.84

-17.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.54 $1.54

3.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.19 $2.19

25.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.34 $0.34

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.71 $2.71

75.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.72 $1.72

88.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$11.85 $11.85

-54.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.84 $0.84

82.14%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$22.5K $22.5K

-5.90%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$31.1K $31.1K

-25.15%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$33.68 $33.68

147.89%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.13 $15.13

53.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$26.40 $26.40

4.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$29.48 $29.48

91.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$16.45 $16.45

71.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.64 $7.64

-34.55%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$375 $375

-44.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$5,635 $5,635

-7.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$66.0 $66.0

-34.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$41.24 $41.24

3.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$125 $125

-42.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$92.4 $92.4

-4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$414 $414

140.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$274 $274

39.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$834 $834

100.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$509 $509

112.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.05

13.93%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bahia de Caraquez: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bahia de Caraquez

$274 31.3% 28.5% $109

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bahia de Caraquez

$199 22.8% 22.7% $58

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bahia de Caraquez

$121 13.9% 39.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bahia de Caraquez

$75 8.6% 44% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bahia de Caraquez

$146 16.8% 31.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bahia de Caraquez

$45 5.1% 32.6% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bahia de Caraquez

$13 * 1.5% 74.9% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $414 in Bahia de Caraquez. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $53 in Bahia de Caraquez. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $199 in Bahia de Caraquez – so Bahia de Caraquez wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Bahia de Caraquez

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,963

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bahia de Caraquez 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $873 in Bahia de Caraquez – Bahia de Caraquez comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,309 in Bahia de Caraquez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $53 in Bahia de Caraquez. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bahia de Caraquez, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Bahia de Caraquez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bahia de Caraquez costs $873 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.