Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $706 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $706 in Cajamarca.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cajamarca $706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,185 in Cajamarca.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cajamarca $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,664 in Cajamarca.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cajamarca $1,664

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 71% more expensive than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cajamarca 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.25 PEN 11.25

236.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$29.07 PEN 101

49.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.67 PEN 19.64

107.76%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.84 PEN 9.84

34.15%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.69 PEN 2.41

85.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.55 PEN 1.91

41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.67 PEN 9.24

18.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.54 PEN 12.26

39.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.36 PEN 4.71

3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$3.12 PEN 10.80

-28.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.25 PEN 4.34

13.60%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.28 PEN 7.89

10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$7.01 PEN 24.30

3.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.52 PEN 26.08

2.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$15.82 PEN 54.8

-19.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$0.85 PEN 2.95

227.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$0.90 PEN 3.11

52.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.14 PEN 3.96

123.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.89 PEN 3.08

138.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.84 PEN 2.90

130.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.71 PEN 2.46

166.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.90 PEN 3.13

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.76 PEN 2.62

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$7.41 PEN 25.69

-41.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.68 PEN 40.47

-14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.53 PEN 8.78

-37.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.66 PEN 9.22

0.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.61 PEN 2.11

-9.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$8.76 PEN 30.37

203.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.59 PEN 8.98

91.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.70 PEN 5.90

95.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$5.75 PEN 19.94

-6.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.40 PEN 4.86

2.86%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$23.1K PEN 80.1K

-10.59%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$28.5K PEN 98.8K

-17.67%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$57.7 PEN 200

47.00%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$9.57 PEN 33.16

144.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$20.41 PEN 70.7

40.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$33.27 PEN 115

71.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$17.16 PEN 59.5

68.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$3.76 PEN 13.03

36.70%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$146 PEN 506

41.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$4,405 PEN 15.3K

-10.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$42.92 PEN 149

1.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$28.76 PEN 99.7

44.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$71.8 PEN 249

3.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$72.4 PEN 251

23.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$197 PEN 684

396.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$114 PEN 396

233.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$530 PEN 1,838

222.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$317 PEN 1,098

239.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$549 PEN 1,902

33.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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 Cajamarca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cajamarca

$114 16.2% 70% $267

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cajamarca

$242 34.2% 5.2% $13

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cajamarca

$102 14.5% 49.4% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cajamarca

$88 12.4% 36% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cajamarca

$97 13.8% 13% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cajamarca

$41 5.8% 39.4% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cajamarca

$22 3.2% 55.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $197 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 34% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $29 in Cajamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $242 per month, with Cajamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

218,741

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.47 PEN (1 PEN = 0.289 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cajamarca 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cajamarca

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 Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $197 in Cajamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cajamarca runs roughly 67% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $146 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $706 in Cajamarca versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cajamarca 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 Cajamarca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.