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 23.6% more expensive than Castro without rent, and 15.2% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 2.2% cheaper than Castro without rent, and 36% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$8.72 CLP 7,727
33.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$44.39 CLP 39.4K
-3.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$8.20 CLP 7,267
29.27%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.83 CLP 2,508
26.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$1.30 CLP 1,156
11.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$1.05 CLP 932
-14.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$3.14 CLP 2,779
-3.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$4.22 CLP 3,745
8.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.09 CLP 965
33.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.52 CLP 1,352
20.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.31 CLP 1,164
22.90%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$4.46 CLP 3,955
-43.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$10.16 CLP 9,011
-15.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$4.24 CLP 3,757
99.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$8.63 CLP 7,653
25.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$1.42 CLP 1,262
92.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$2.32 CLP 2,056
-35.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.63 CLP 1,447
19.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$2.01 CLP 1,784
7.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.20 CLP 1,062
54.17%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.40 CLP 1,243
56.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.27 CLP 1,126
-15.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.17 CLP 1,038
-7.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$5.37 CLP 4,756
-24.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$8.20 CLP 7,266
27.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.54 CLP 1,369
7.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$2.23 CLP 1,981
14.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.72 CLP 634
-22.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$0.47 CLP 415
568.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.44 CLP 1,276
-9.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$19.2K CLP 17.0M
59.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$21.5K CLP 19.1M
10.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$129 CLP 114.7K
-35.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$13.82 CLP 12.3K
60.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$21.58 CLP 19.1K
36.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$38.94 CLP 34.5K
31.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$21.16 CLP 18.8K
-11.67%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$5.51 CLP 4,885
-11.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$427 CLP 378.6K
-53.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$51.2 CLP 45.4K
-29.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$30.23 CLP 26.8K
30.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$61.3 CLP 54.4K
30.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$81.4 CLP 72.1K
7.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$475 CLP 420.9K
102.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$368 CLP 326.2K
31.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$897 CLP 795.5K
83.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$626 CLP 554.7K
90.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Castro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$681 CLP 603.5K
6.69%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Castro: April 13, 2026

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

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