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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 53% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 59.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 49.4% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 84.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$3.69 COP 15.4K
224.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$29.24 COP 121.9K
45.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$7.45 COP 31K
40.54%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.61 COP 6,713
123.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.95 COP 3,954
51.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.57 COP 2,375
56.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.05 COP 4,386
194.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.52 COP 10.5K
81.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.22 COP 5,078
13.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.49 COP 6,205
24.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.2 COP 4,990
30.83%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.46 COP 10.2K
3.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$4.16 COP 17.4K
106.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$5.31 COP 22.1K
60.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$7.78 COP 32.4K
41.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.42 COP 10.1K
12.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.98 COP 4,089
54.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.14 COP 4,749
64.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.32 COP 5,507
65.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$0.86 COP 3,597
117.44%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.11 COP 4,637
97.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.72 COP 3,000
48.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.65 COP 2,720
67.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.89 COP 12K
37.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$11.2 COP 46.7K
-20.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.12 COP 4,669
53.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.95 COP 8,135
33.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.67 COP 2,789
-22.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.54 COP 6,438
110.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.95 COP 8,110
22.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$9.47 COP 39.5K
-67.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.91 COP 3,812
43.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$22.2K COP 92.6M
36.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$30.1K COP 125.4M
-20.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$80.8 COP 336.9K
4.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$8.89 COP 37.1K
149.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$24.59 COP 102.5K
22.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$22.96 COP 95.7K
126.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$4.88 COP 20.3K
3.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$230 COP 960.1K
-13.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,041 COP 25.2M
-11.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$63.9 COP 266.5K
-44.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$44.35 COP 184.9K
-10.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$78.2 COP 325.9K
1.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$88.9 COP 370.5K
-0.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$285 COP 1.2M
238.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$238 COP 993.8K
98.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$521 COP 2.2M
217.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$425 COP 1.8M
182.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,457 COP 6.1M
111.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,219 COP 5.1M
517.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$303 COP 1.3M
161.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.58
-1.38%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Cartago: October 28, 2025

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