Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Barranquilla

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,546 in Barranquilla, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,546 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Barranquilla $1,546

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,298 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Barranquilla $2,298

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,050 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Barranquilla $3,050

Playa del Carmen is about 22% cheaper than Barranquilla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Barranquilla is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$8.99 COP 29.0K

21.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$63.7 COP 205.7K

-31.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-13.89%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.85 COP 9,209

33.68%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.38 COP 4,441

-7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.25 COP 4,024

-37.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.06 COP 9,864

3.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$7.74 COP 25.0K

-36.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.85 COP 2,734

65.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.29 COP 4,159

72.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.55 COP 5,020

-8.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.20 COP 7,105

14.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$5.22 COP 16.9K

39.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$17.73 COP 57.3K

-56.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.05 COP 22.8K

80.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.15 COP 6,955

29.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.98 COP 3,160

39.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$0.64 COP 2,078

298.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.87 COP 6,038

13.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.30 COP 4,182

49.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.92 COP 2,985

105.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.23 COP 3,960

-6.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.89 COP 2,886

32.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$5.13 COP 16.6K

-16.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.81 COP 41.4K

-22.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.60 COP 5,178

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$4.59 COP 14.8K

-41.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.19 COP 3,833

-53.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$69.1 COP 223.2K

-61.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.42 COP 11.1K

45.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$3.17 COP 10.2K

5.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$15.85 COP 51.2K

-66.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.29 COP 4,159

11.63%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$34.9K COP 112.8M

-40.83%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$34.3K COP 110.8M

-31.60%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$151 COP 486.8K

-43.76%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$14.87 COP 48.0K

57.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$32.39 COP 104.6K

-11.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$37.92 COP 122.4K

50.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.49 COP 17.7K

-6.38%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$311 COP 1.0M

-33.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$4,796 COP 15.5M

-18.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$114 COP 369.2K

-62.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$47.37 COP 153.0K

-12.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$186 COP 601.3K

-60.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$249 COP 803.9K

-64.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$827 COP 2.7M

18.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$495 COP 1.6M

-23.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,996 COP 6.4M

-14.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$691 COP 2.2M

55.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$2,113 COP 6.8M

86.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,005 COP 3.2M

512.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$525 COP 1.7M

39.97%

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 Barranquilla: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Barranquilla

$495 32% 29.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Barranquilla

$255 16.5% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Barranquilla

$188 12.2% 6.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Barranquilla

$198 12.8% 44.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Barranquilla

$269 17.4% 141% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Barranquilla

$49 3.2% 27.4% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Barranquilla

$93 6% 84.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $827 in Barranquilla. 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 40% 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 $64 in Barranquilla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,327,209

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Barranquilla 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Barranquilla

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 Barranquilla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barranquilla costs about 28% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,319 in Barranquilla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barranquilla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $827 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,546 in Barranquilla. That makes Playa del Carmen about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $311 in Barranquilla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Barranquilla at $1,546. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barranquilla it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,546 in Barranquilla. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.