Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cancun

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,398 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
Learn more

Cancun Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,398 in Cancun, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Cancun $1,398

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,267 in Cancun, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Cancun $2,267

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,136 in Cancun, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Cancun $3,136

Playa del Carmen is about 13% cheaper than Cancun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Cancun is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$10.84 MX$200

-0.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$53.8 MX$994

-19.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$11.55 MX$213

2.08%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.86 MX$71.4

0.26%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.34 MX$24.78

2.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.84 MX$15.57

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.06 MX$56.6

1.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.13 MX$76.3

22.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.64 MX$30.29

-12.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.58 MX$47.72

-13.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.68 MX$31.12

-12.50%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.80 MX$51.7

-9.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.89 MX$183

-26.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$8.81 MX$163

-10.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$14.21 MX$263

-9.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.93 MX$54.1

-1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.67 MX$30.88

-13.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.01 MX$55.5

-15.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.19 MX$40.55

-5.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.94 MX$35.91

3.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.96 MX$36.26

2.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.15 MX$21.23

3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.22 MX$22.51

3.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.34 MX$80.3

1.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$10.03 MX$185

-4.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.59 MX$29.38

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.80 MX$51.8

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.68 MX$12.66

-16.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$29.10 MX$538

-4.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$4.33 MX$79.9

15.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$2.82 MX$52.1

24.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$13.71 MX$253

-60.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.53 MX$28.28

-3.92%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$21.3K MX$394.3K

-1.64%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$23.8K MX$439.8K

0.44%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$170 MX$3,149

-50.58%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$23.44 MX$433

2.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$38.92 MX$719

-25.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$32.26 MX$596

95.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$13.21 MX$244

120.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.29 MX$135

-32.24%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$204 MX$3,761

0.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$5,396 MX$99.7K

-26.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$54.1 MX$999

-19.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$55.3 MX$1,021

-21.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$74.0 MX$1,368

2.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$94.0 MX$1,737

-5.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$660 MX$12.2K

52.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$457 MX$8,445

-18.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,404 MX$26.0K

21.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,059 MX$19.6K

4.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,266 MX$23.4K

211.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,945 MX$35.9K

217.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$801 MX$14.8K

-5.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cancun: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Cancun

$457 32.7% 22.2% $83

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Cancun

$287 20.5% 11% $28

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Cancun

$200 14.3% 1.1% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Cancun

$233 16.6% 69.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Cancun

$125 8.9% 10.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Cancun

$47 3.4% 35.7% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Cancun

$50 3.6% 4.4% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $660 in Cancun. 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 6% higher in Cancun, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $54.0 in Cancun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $287 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

888,797

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cancun 63 km

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cancun

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, $1,398 in Cancun – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,098 in Cancun. 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.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $204 in Cancun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Cancun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Cancun at $1,398. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,398 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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