Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,300 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cartagena outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,300 in Cartagena, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cartagena $1,300

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,181 in Cartagena, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Cartagena $2,181

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,062 in Cartagena, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Cartagena $3,062

Playa del Carmen is about 7% cheaper than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cartagena are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cartagena 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$5.87 COP 18.6K

85.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$144 COP 456.2K

-69.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.31 COP 32.7K

14.06%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.31 COP 13.7K

-14.62%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.53 COP 8,026

-47.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$2.35 COP 7,459

-65.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.36 COP 10.7K

-8.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.89 COP 15.5K

1.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.87 COP 5,932

-21.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.81 COP 8,923

-21.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.42 COP 4,516

4.23%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$4.93 COP 15.6K

-49.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-43.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$17.91 COP 56.8K

-55.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.07 COP 6,568

-42.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$14.58 COP 46.2K

-31.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.44 COP 4,580

6.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.21 COP 3,821

-56.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$58.8 COP 186.3K

-53.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$4.70 COP 14.9K

4.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$3.72 COP 11.8K

-7.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$9.34 COP 29.6K

-42.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.31 COP 4,142

10.69%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$34.7K COP 110.2M

-39.10%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$34.9K COP 110.7M

-34.08%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$77.8 COP 246.5K

9.79%

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

$23.46 MX$434

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$89.6 COP 284.2K

-30.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$8.43 COP 26.7K

-39.50%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$630 COP 2.0M

-68.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$5,782 COP 18.3M

-31.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,056 COP 3.3M

-7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$590 COP 1.9M

-36.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,333 COP 7.4M

-27.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$955 COP 3.0M

14.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$944 COP 3.0M

549.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$477 COP 1.5M

54.68%

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: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Cartagena

$590 45.4% 58.2% $217

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Cartagena

$263 * 20.3% 1.8% $4.8

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Cartagena

$176 13.5% 12.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cartagena

$78 * 6% 43.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cartagena

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Cartagena

$107 8.2% 47.1% $34

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Cartagena

$87 6.7% 68.1% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,056 in Cartagena. 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 55% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $144 in Cartagena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $263 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cartagena 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena costs about 8% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,950 in Cartagena. 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 $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $630 in Cartagena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Cartagena, 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 $1,204, than in Cartagena at $1,300. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartagena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,300 in Cartagena. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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