Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Candelaria

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,327 in Candelaria, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Candelaria despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Candelaria
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Candelaria Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Candelaria

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,327 in Candelaria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Candelaria $1,327

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,085 in Candelaria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Candelaria $2,085

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,844 in Candelaria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Candelaria $2,844

Playa del Carmen is about 9% cheaper than Candelaria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Candelaria are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Candelaria 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$19.01 $19.01

-42.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$81.5 $81.5

-46.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$9.21 $9.21

27.90%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.70 $3.70

2.97%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.88 $1.88

-31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.46 $1.46

-46.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.06 $3.06

3.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.97 $4.97

-0.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.16 $2.16

-34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.54 $3.54

-37.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.33 $2.33

-39.06%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$7.19 $7.19

-64.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.35 $12.35

-41.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$9.91 $9.91

-22.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$13.47 $13.47

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$5.11 $5.11

-45.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.57 $2.57

-46.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$4.82 $4.82

-47.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$4.87 $4.87

-56.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$3.71 $3.71

-47.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$3.97 $3.97

-52.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$3.38 $3.38

-65.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.66 $1.66

-28.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$12.10 $12.10

-64.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$15.81 $15.81

-37.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$3.12 $3.12

-49.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$4.09 $4.09

-34.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.46 $2.46

102.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.51 $1.51

120.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$41.21 $41.21

-86.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.17 $1.17

23.08%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$34.0K $34.0K

-39.28%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$28.2K $28.2K

-16.91%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$326 $326

-74.01%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$68.8 $68.8

-65.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$69.4 $69.4

-58.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$10.69 $10.69

-51.92%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$806 $806

-74.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$12.3K $12.3K

-68.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.7 $55.7

-22.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$61.3 $61.3

-32.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$110 $110

-32.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$114 $114

-21.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.55

74.81%

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 Candelaria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Candelaria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Candelaria

$415 31.3% 62.8% $160

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Candelaria

$263 19.8% 29.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Candelaria

$464 35% 239% $328

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Candelaria

$153 11.6% 37.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Candelaria

$21 * 1.6% 68.2% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Candelaria

$10 * 0.8% 80.2% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $81 in Candelaria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $415 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Candelaria

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,631

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Candelaria 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Candelaria

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 Candelaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,327 in Candelaria – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,990 in Candelaria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,327 in Candelaria. That’s a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $806 in Candelaria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,327 in Candelaria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,327 in Candelaria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.