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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 12.5% more expensive than Castro without rent, and 16.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 36.3% more expensive than Castro without rent, and 35.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$8.83 CLP 7,724
34.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$45.18 CLP 39.5K
-6.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$8.09 CLP 7,072
32.88%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$2.83 CLP 2,476
22.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$1.30 CLP 1,138
11.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$1.03 CLP 898
-12.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$3.25 CLP 2,846
-6.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$4.12 CLP 3,605
7.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.09 CLP 951
25.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$1.48 CLP 1,291
26.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$1.31 CLP 1,149
17.56%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$4.34 CLP 3,798
-42.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$10.27 CLP 8,983
-16.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$4.37 CLP 3,826
97.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$8.98 CLP 7,852
22.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$1.42 CLP 1,240
93.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$2.43 CLP 2,128
-41.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$1.67 CLP 1,457
11.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$2.07 CLP 1,808
4.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$1.22 CLP 1,067
54.10%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$1.36 CLP 1,189
65.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$1.22 CLP 1,069
-12.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$1.23 CLP 1,074
-13.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$5.54 CLP 4,846
-25.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$8.36 CLP 7,308
23.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$1.53 CLP 1,342
9.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$2.30 CLP 2,011
7.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
$0.70 CLP 611
-21.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
$0.47 CLP 414
585.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$1.38 CLP 1,206
-8.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$19.6K CLP 17.1M
56.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$21.8K CLP 19.0M
10.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$130 CLP 114.0K
-36.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$13.52 CLP 11.8K
64.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$22.33 CLP 19.5K
34.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
$38.30 CLP 33.5K
34.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
$21.41 CLP 18.7K
-14.57%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$5.57 CLP 4,875
-10.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$432 CLP 377.8K
-53.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$51.4 CLP 45.0K
-30.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$30.17 CLP 26.4K
31.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$61.8 CLP 54.0K
30.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$83.0 CLP 72.6K
6.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
$478 CLP 418.3K
102.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
$368 CLP 322.2K
30.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$873 CLP 763.9K
82.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$631 CLP 551.5K
87.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
$666 CLP 582.6K
13.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.18
120.46%

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 Castro: March 2, 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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