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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 40.3% more expensive than Cartagena without rent, and 15.8% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 6.8% cheaper than Cartagena without rent, and 41.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

$5.99 COP 22.0K

98.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

$46.65 COP 171.3K

-10.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

$9.77 COP 35.9K

7.98%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

$1.58 COP 5,797

127.85%

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

$1.50 MX$26.45

$0.86 COP 3,172

74.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

$0.72 COP 2,658

26.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

$1.24 COP 4,563

148.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

$2.86 COP 10.5K

56.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$24.54

$1.14 COP 4,175

21.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 MX$33.47

$1.85 COP 6,775

2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$28.27

$1.32 COP 4,843

21.21%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.97

$2.12 COP 7,786

22.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

$7.07 COP 26.0K

18.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 MX$152

$6.11 COP 22.4K

41.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 MX$192

$7.90 COP 29.0K

38.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

$3.15 COP 11.6K

-17.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.46

$2.00 COP 7,328

-28.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

$1.44 COP 5,297

36.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

$1.60 COP 5,864

32.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.87

$1.53 COP 5,625

21.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 MX$39.20

$1.06 COP 3,884

109.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

$1.05 COP 3,873

-2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.36

$0.60 COP 2,194

73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 MX$71.5

$2.24 COP 8,215

80.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MX$180

$24.08 COP 88.4K

-57.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$29.79

$0.94 COP 3,444

79.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$46.25

$1.02 COP 3,731

156.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

$1.06 COP 3,908

-51.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

$28.72 COP 105.4K

-7.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

$2.49 COP 9,146

26.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

$2.35 COP 8,624

4.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

$4.89 COP 18.0K

-33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

$1.03 COP 3,789

28.16%

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

$21.6K COP 79.3M

39.37%

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

$23.3K COP 85.5M

2.02%

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

$83.5 MX$1,474

$144 COP 527.3K

-41.83%

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

$22.86 MX$404

$10.78 COP 39.6K

112.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

$24.52 COP 90.0K

22.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

$34.66 COP 127.3K

49.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

$8.77 COP 32.2K

108.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

$2.96 COP 10.9K

72.97%

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

$201 MX$3,541

$143 COP 523.6K

40.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

$5,863 COP 21.5M

-9.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

$47.68 COP 175.1K

-25.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

$39.05 COP 143.4K

3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

$124 COP 453.6K

-35.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

$113 COP 413.3K

-20.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

$718 COP 2.6M

31.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

$331 COP 1.2M

45.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

$1,278 COP 4.7M

25.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

$467 COP 1.7M

159.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

$3,007 COP 11.0M

32.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

$1,920 COP 7.1M

233.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 MX$12.9K

$423 COP 1.6M

72.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

-23.87%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: January 12, 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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