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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,293 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,806 in Carrefour.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,334 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,698 in Carrefour.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,374 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,589 in Carrefour.

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 28% less than in Carrefour, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 6% below, Carrefour is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.71 MX$198

$15.13 HTG 1,973

-22.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.59 MX$787

$91.3 HTG 11.9K

-48.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.65 MX$197

$7.15 HTG 932

62.94%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$69.2

$1.64 HTG 214

149.39%

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

$1.37 MX$23.23

$1.56 HTG 204

-12.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$14.09

$1.53 HTG 199

-45.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 MX$56.7

$5.11 HTG 666

-34.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 MX$117

$7.20 HTG 939

-4.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MX$29.19

$1.49 HTG 194

16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 MX$38.20

$2.27 HTG 296

-0.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 MX$29.90

$2.99 HTG 389

-40.80%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$46.18

$2.74 HTG 357

-0.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 MX$155

$7.79 HTG 1,016

17.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 MX$151

$5.96 HTG 777

49.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.60 MX$213

$12.00 HTG 1,564

5.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$51.1

$1.90 HTG 247

58.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$26.54

$2.48 HTG 323

-36.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 MX$35.92

$0.89 HTG 116

139.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.27

$2.26 HTG 295

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$33.87

$6.09 HTG 794

-67.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 MX$34.89

$1.02 HTG 133

101.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MX$19.94

$0.66 HTG 85.9

78.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$20.35

$0.98 HTG 128

22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.63 MX$78.3

$3.98 HTG 519

16.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.69 MX$181

$11.59 HTG 1,511

-7.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MX$27.37

$0.89 HTG 116

82.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$48.69

$1.57 HTG 205

83.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$9.69

$0.21 HTG 27.99

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 MX$504

$20.19 HTG 2,632

47.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 MX$92.1

$0.39 HTG 51.0

1297.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.70 MX$62.6

$0.41 HTG 53.8

802.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 MX$101

$20.04 HTG 2,613

-70.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$26.25

$1.21 HTG 158

28.10%

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

$22.3K MX$377.3K

$40.2K HTG 5.2M

-44.47%

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

$25.9K MX$438.5K

$45.3K HTG 5.9M

-42.78%

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

$89.1 MX$1,506

$101 HTG 13.2K

-11.63%

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

$25.04 MX$423

$50.6 HTG 6,598

-50.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 MX$532

$164 HTG 21.4K

-80.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.8 MX$1,145

$70.2 HTG 9,156

-3.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.92 MX$489

$20.15 HTG 2,627

43.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MX$85.3

$10.16 HTG 1,325

-50.30%

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

$225 MX$3,802

$101 HTG 13.2K

122.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,222 MX$71.4K

$6,994 HTG 911.9K

-39.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.44 MX$802

$79.8 HTG 10.4K

-40.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.98 MX$760

$74.3 HTG 9,686

-39.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 MX$1,386

$121 HTG 15.8K

-32.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 MX$1,556

$152 HTG 19.8K

-39.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 MX$18.1K

$897 HTG 116.9K

19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 MX$6,850

$732 HTG 95.4K

-44.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 MX$32.7K

$1,293 HTG 168.6K

49.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 MX$22.0K

$1,055 HTG 137.5K

23.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,995 MX$67.5K

$759 HTG 98.9K

426.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,626 MX$112.0K

$611 HTG 79.7K

984.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$749 MX$12.7K

$1,400 HTG 182.5K

-46.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-23.67%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: August 29, 2026

Last update for Carrefour: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,069 in Playa del Carmen and $897 in Carrefour. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carrefour pays 87% 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: $47.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $91.0 in Carrefour. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $254, with Carrefour cheaper for home cooking.

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 Carrefour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Carrefour differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,293 vs $1,806 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Carrefour. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,069 in Playa del Carmen versus $897 in Carrefour. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $225 in Playa del Carmen versus $101 in Carrefour. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Carrefour pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,293 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,806 in Carrefour, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Carrefour. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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 Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Carrefour. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.