Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Boca del Rio

For one person, living is cheaper in Boca del Rio: $1,167 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Boca del Rio
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Boca del Rio Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Boca del Rio

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Boca del Rio

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 Boca del Rio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,167 in Boca del Rio, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Boca del Rio $1,167

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,904 in Boca del Rio, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Boca del Rio $1,904

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,641 in Boca del Rio, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Boca del Rio $2,641

Playa del Carmen costs about 3% more than Boca del Rio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Boca del Rio are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Boca del Rio 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$10.98 MX$204

-0.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$43.22 MX$803

0.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$8.56 MX$159

37.62%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$3.59 MX$66.7

6.13%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$1.33 MX$24.62

-3.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$1.04 MX$19.40

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$2.35 MX$43.73

34.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$3.93 MX$73.1

25.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.47 MX$27.36

-4.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$2.66 MX$49.48

-16.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.75 MX$32.45

-18.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$2.51 MX$46.52

0.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.15 MX$151

-10.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$8.11 MX$151

-5.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.70 MX$217

8.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$2.45 MX$45.41

13.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.69 MX$31.35

-18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.66 MX$30.88

53.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.78 MX$33.13

19.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$2.24 MX$41.67

-13.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.75 MX$32.48

8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.34 MX$24.84

-14.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.96 MX$17.91

22.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$3.82 MX$71.0

12.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$9.62 MX$179

3.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.92 MX$35.58

-17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$3.28 MX$60.9

-18.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.68 MX$12.57

-19.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$33.89 MX$629

-21.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$2.80 MX$52.1

77.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$2.10 MX$39.00

58.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$9.32 MX$173

-42.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.40 MX$25.96

2.86%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$22.7K MX$421.7K

-8.98%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$22.6K MX$419.0K

4.00%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$55.1 MX$1,023

53.97%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$24.45 MX$454

-4.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$25.52 MX$474

12.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$33.45 MX$621

70.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$19.12 MX$355

51.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$5.88 MX$109

-12.59%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$201 MX$3,731

2.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$4,612 MX$85.7K

-14.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$59.4 MX$1,103

-27.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$36.15 MX$671

14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$105 MX$1,946

-29.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$95.8 MX$1,779

-6.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$622 MX$11.5K

57.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$389 MX$7,222

-2.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$1,056 MX$19.6K

61.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$819 MX$15.2K

31.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$2,000 MX$37.1K

97.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,169 MX$21.7K

426.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.31

1.24%

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 Boca del Rio: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Boca del Rio

$389 33.3% 2.1% $8.1

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Boca del Rio

$259 22.2% 1.6% $4.2

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Boca del Rio

$186 15.9% 8.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Boca del Rio

$105 9% 23.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Boca del Rio

$133 11.4% 19.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Boca del Rio

$45 3.9% 32.8% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Boca del Rio

$50 4.3% 1.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $622 in Boca del Rio. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $43 in Boca del Rio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $259 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Boca del Rio

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Boca del Rio 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Boca del Rio

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 Boca del Rio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,167 in Boca del Rio – Boca del Rio comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,750 in Boca del Rio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Boca del Rio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $622 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $201 in Boca del Rio. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,167 in Boca del Rio. That makes Boca del Rio about 3% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,167 in Boca del Rio, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Boca del Rio – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.