Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,611 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,611 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,611

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,409 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,409

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,207 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,207

Playa del Carmen is about 25% cheaper than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$10.35 MX$191

4.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$48.09 MX$889

-8.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$9.88 MX$182

19.03%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.37 MX$62.2

9.20%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.44 MX$26.54

-6.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.91 MX$16.86

-9.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.39 MX$44.20

28.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.41 MX$81.5

12.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.78 MX$32.84

-17.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.03 MX$55.9

-26.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.38 MX$43.92

-37.82%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.35 MX$43.47

5.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$11.47 MX$212

-34.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.65 MX$178

-17.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$13.41 MX$248

-6.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.59 MX$47.82

7.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.57 MX$28.94

-8.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.62 MX$29.98

61.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.71 MX$31.57

25.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.21 MX$22.29

66.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.84 MX$33.99

8.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.77 MX$51.3

-58.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.21 MX$22.31

-0.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.81 MX$88.9

-11.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.87 MX$201

-7.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.54 MX$28.53

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.48 MX$64.3

-23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.90 MX$16.59

-41.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$52.4 MX$968

-47.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$4.37 MX$80.8

12.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.97 MX$54.9

15.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$10.43 MX$193

-48.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.41 MX$26.14

2.84%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.3K MX$394.1K

-0.78%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$23.9K MX$441.5K

-3.66%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$84.4 MX$1,560

1.11%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$24.86 MX$459

-5.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$31.45 MX$581

-9.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$45.08 MX$833

37.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$30.06 MX$556

-4.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$4.13 MX$76.3

23.49%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$226 MX$4,180

-11.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$8,280 MX$153.0K

-52.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$71.3 MX$1,317

-37.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$52.5 MX$970

-21.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$95.2 MX$1,759

-23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$68.0 MX$1,257

31.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,190 MX$22.0K

-17.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$733 MX$13.5K

-49.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,509 MX$46.4K

-32.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,179 MX$21.8K

-7.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,827 MX$70.7K

3.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,210 MX$40.8K

177.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$750 MX$13.9K

-1.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.6

-1.29%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$733 45.5% 96.6% $360

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$297 18.4% 14.8% $38

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$183 11.4% 8.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$141 8.7% 2.5% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$129 8% 15.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$53 3.3% 26.3% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$75 4.7% 45.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,190 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. 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 2% higher in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $48.00 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $297 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

202,694

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,416 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $226 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,611. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.