Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cancun Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cancun

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 11.5% cheaper than Cancun without rent, and 5.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 8.2% cheaper than Cancun without rent, and 0.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$13.40 MX$236
-11.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$52.8 MX$932
-20.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$9.89 MX$175
8.70%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$3.56 MX$62.9
-2.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$1.52 MX$26.80
-4.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.89 MX$15.71
1.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$2.98 MX$52.7
2.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$4.53 MX$79.9
-2.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.45 MX$25.59
-5.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$2.62 MX$46.33
-28.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.86 MX$32.88
-17.20%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.57 MX$45.31
-2.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$11.40 MX$201
-24.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$8.59 MX$152
0.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$11.00 MX$194
0.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$3.30 MX$58.2
-16.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.55 MX$27.41
-7.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$3.16 MX$55.8
-40.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$2.10 MX$37.14
3.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$2.06 MX$36.40
-8.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$2.23 MX$39.35
0.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$1.04 MX$18.33
2.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$1.28 MX$22.60
-16.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$4.10 MX$72.4
1.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$10.54 MX$186
-1.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.67 MX$29.54
0.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.51 MX$44.31
-1.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.64 MX$11.34
-14.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$60.9 MX$1,075
-56.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$4.18 MX$73.8
-22.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$2.57 MX$45.33
-3.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$9.92 MX$175
-68.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.28 MX$22.61
-1.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$30.4K MX$535.9K
0.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$23.6K MX$416.5K
1.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$112 MX$1,983
-26.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$23.32 MX$412
-4.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$36.57 MX$645
-17.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$24.62 MX$435
108.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$24.64 MX$435
-25.77%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$5.91 MX$104
-15.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$202 MX$3,574
-1.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$5,241 MX$92.5K
1.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$53.6 MX$945
-33.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$40.26 MX$711
-1.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$83.5 MX$1,473
-3.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$107 MX$1,895
-17.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$628 MX$11.1K
54.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$444 MX$7,839
8.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$1,269 MX$22.4K
25.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$1,009 MX$17.8K
17.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$2,252 MX$39.7K
79.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$2,293 MX$40.5K
184.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$863 MX$15.2K
-12.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.42
-

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Cancun: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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