Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,241 in Cali, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,241 in Cali.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cali $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,856 in Cali.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cali $1,856

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,470 in Cali.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cali $2,470

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 3% less than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cali 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.33 COP 17.2K

104.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$57.5 COP 185.5K

-24.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.19 COP 20.0K

90.31%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.18 COP 10.3K

19.81%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.37 COP 7,642

-45.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$2.20 COP 7,114

-64.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.47 COP 11.2K

-8.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.68 COP 11.9K

33.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.67 COP 5,394

-15.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.82 COP 5,887

21.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.67 COP 5,403

-14.97%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.08 COP 9,953

-18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.78 COP 28.3K

-17.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.45 COP 30.5K

-18.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$10.89 COP 35.2K

16.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.89 COP 12.6K

-28.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.21 COP 3,893

13.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.35 COP 4,369

88.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.09 COP 6,739

1.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.69 COP 5,467

14.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.62 COP 5,226

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.02 COP 3,281

12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.85 COP 2,752

38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.54 COP 14.7K

-5.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$17.12 COP 55.3K

-41.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.58 COP 5,091

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.97 COP 6,354

35.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.13 COP 3,643

-51.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$67.3 COP 217.4K

-60.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.19 COP 3,831

317.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.57 COP 1,849

484.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$3.39 COP 10.9K

58.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.35 COP 4,370

6.67%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$34.7K COP 112.2M

-40.53%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$34.4K COP 111.0M

-31.77%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$102 COP 328.2K

-16.57%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$15.18 COP 49.0K

54.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$27.67 COP 89.3K

3.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$31.03 COP 100.2K

83.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$10.43 COP 33.7K

177.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.11 COP 16.5K

0.59%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$404 COP 1.3M

-48.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$11.5K COP 37.2M

-65.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$83.3 COP 268.8K

-47.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$43.25 COP 139.7K

-4.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$116 COP 374.5K

-36.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$100 COP 323.1K

-10.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$713 COP 2.3M

37.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$412 COP 1.3M

-7.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,466 COP 4.7M

16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$542 COP 1.7M

98.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,750 COP 5.7M

125.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,488 COP 4.8M

313.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$589 COP 1.9M

24.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.88

-17.51%

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 Cali: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cali

$412 33.2% 8.1% $31

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cali

$271 21.9% 6.6% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cali

$142 11.5% 29.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cali

$144 11.6% 5.6% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cali

$154 12.4% 38% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cali

$41 3.3% 38.7% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cali

$76 6.1% 50.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $713 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $57 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $271 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,568,609

💱 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 = 2.77 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 = 20.98 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cali 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% 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 $713 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $404 in Cali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Cali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.