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 71.7% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 56.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 42.5% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 86% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$211
$3.70 COP 13.9K
220.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$750
$28.90 COP 108.7K
45.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$191
$7.42 COP 27.9K
44.88%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.8
$1.55 COP 5,838
123.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.85
$0.87 COP 3,288
66.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.06
$0.55 COP 2,085
63.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.3
$1.04 COP 3,924
193.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$78.6
$2.47 COP 9,286
78.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.36
$1.23 COP 4,612
11.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.31
$1.46 COP 5,495
28.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.46
$1.21 COP 4,548
27.27%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.53
$2.48 COP 9,321
0.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$153
$4.19 COP 15.8K
105.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$154
$5.45 COP 20.5K
58.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$196
$7.41 COP 27.9K
48.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.91
$2.40 COP 9,018
14.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.41
$0.98 COP 3,696
45.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.32
$1.20 COP 4,516
55.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.56
$1.27 COP 4,772
70.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.50
$0.83 COP 3,107
126.51%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.96
$1.11 COP 4,156
102.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.99
$0.76 COP 2,850
40.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.10
$0.65 COP 2,461
64.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.9
$2.89 COP 10.9K
43.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$184
$10.83 COP 40.7K
-4.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.87
$1.11 COP 4,182
51.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.19
$1.85 COP 6,960
34.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.87
$0.69 COP 2,587
-20.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$472
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.2
$1.54 COP 5,775
109.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.15
$1.96 COP 7,359
26.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.3
$9.96 COP 37.4K
-68.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.34
$0.95 COP 3,567
32.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$545.4K
$21.7K COP 81.7M
41.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$427.6K
$29.7K COP 111.8M
-19.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,467
$83.0 COP 312.2K
-0.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$396
$8.88 COP 33.4K
151.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$534
$24.19 COP 91.0K
24.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$915
$23.62 COP 88.8K
117.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$325
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.7
$4.94 COP 18.6K
0.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,558
$228 COP 858.2K
-12.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.4K
$5,962 COP 22.4M
-11.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$635
$63.8 COP 239.8K
-44.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$704
$44.68 COP 168.0K
-11.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,433
$76.4 COP 287.2K
5.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,571
$91.0 COP 342.1K
-2.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.2K
$288 COP 1.1M
236.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,579
$243 COP 913.1K
98.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.4K
$537 COP 2.0M
197.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.1K
$426 COP 1.6M
177.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.1K
$1,495 COP 5.6M
170.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.0K
$1,363 COP 5.1M
378.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Cartago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$310 COP 1.2M
144.36%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Cartago: March 3, 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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