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 18.1% more expensive than Cartagena without rent, and 15.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 7.6% more expensive than Cartagena without rent, and 40.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 MX$212

$5.89 COP 22.3K

101.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.16 MX$755

$46.55 COP 176.3K

-9.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$192

$9.47 COP 35.8K

13.52%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$62.2

$1.64 COP 6,207

111.59%

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

$1.45 MX$26.01

$0.86 COP 3,253

68.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$16.16

$0.66 COP 2,497

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$54.7

$1.24 COP 4,711

145.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MX$79.1

$2.95 COP 11.2K

49.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$24.51

$1.14 COP 4,308

20.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MX$33.51

$1.93 COP 7,294

-3.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$27.63

$1.33 COP 5,031

15.79%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$44.81

$2.13 COP 8,058

17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$154

$6.78 COP 25.7K

26.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 MX$155

$6.11 COP 23.1K

41.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 MX$197

$8.05 COP 30.5K

36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$49.22

$3.30 COP 12.5K

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$25.56

$1.91 COP 7,242

-25.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$33.52

$1.44 COP 5,469

29.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$38.80

$1.65 COP 6,257

31.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$33.70

$1.53 COP 5,789

22.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$40.21

$1.12 COP 4,234

100.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$19.11

$1.01 COP 3,832

5.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.22

$0.60 COP 2,271

78.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$74.4

$2.35 COP 8,896

76.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MX$185

$17.67 COP 66.9K

-41.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$30.06

$0.93 COP 3,537

80.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$44.46

$0.98 COP 3,697

153.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.93

$1.06 COP 4,018

-48.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$475

$28.38 COP 107.4K

-6.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$57.6

$2.36 COP 8,953

36.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$44.42

$2.47 COP 9,352

0.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$55.7

$4.70 COP 17.8K

-33.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.48

$1.03 COP 3,918

22.33%

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

$30.7K MX$548.8K

$21.6K COP 81.7M

42.06%

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

$24.0K MX$430.3K

$23.8K COP 90.0M

1.16%

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

$82.5 MX$1,476

$140 COP 531.3K

-41.22%

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

$22.29 MX$399

$10.86 COP 41.1K

105.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 MX$537

$25.12 COP 95.1K

19.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$921

$34.78 COP 131.7K

47.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$327

$8.55 COP 32.4K

113.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$89.2

$2.94 COP 11.1K

69.39%

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

$200 MX$3,580

$140 COP 529.9K

42.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$94.9K

$5,849 COP 22.1M

-9.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$639

$48.55 COP 183.8K

-26.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$708

$38.87 COP 147.2K

1.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,442

$126 COP 478.4K

-36.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,581

$113 COP 427.0K

-21.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.4K

$735 COP 2.8M

31.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,632

$330 COP 1.2M

46.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$28.6K

$1,266 COP 4.8M

25.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$21.2K

$476 COP 1.8M

148.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$72.5K

$2,950 COP 11.2M

37.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$116.7K

$1,914 COP 7.2M

240.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.5K

$393 COP 1.5M

92.52%

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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: February 28, 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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