Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $547 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $547 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cerro de Pasco $547

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $883 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cerro de Pasco $883

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,218 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cerro de Pasco $1,218

Playa del Carmen costs about 120% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cerro de Pasco are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cerro de Pasco 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.84 PEN 9.80

284.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$29.57 PEN 102

46.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.04 PEN 24.27

67.33%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.99 PEN 6.86

91.46%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.71 PEN 2.44

80.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.45 PEN 1.57

73.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.68 PEN 9.23

18.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.38 PEN 15.09

12.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.47 PEN 5.08

-4.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.34 PEN 8.07

-5.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.26 PEN 4.34

12.70%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.38 PEN 8.20

5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.22 PEN 31.77

-21.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.81 PEN 20.01

32.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$8.02 PEN 27.63

58.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.96 PEN 6.76

41.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.75 PEN 2.59

82.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.45 PEN 1.57

466.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.15 PEN 3.95

84.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.76 PEN 2.61

155.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.51 PEN 1.74

270.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.90 PEN 3.11

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.88 PEN 3.04

34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$5.83 PEN 20.10

-26.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.07 PEN 24.36

40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.92 PEN 6.62

-17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.60 PEN 8.95

2.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.42 PEN 11.80

45.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.99 PEN 6.84

67.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.65 PEN 26.36

-29.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.71 PEN 5.91

-15.79%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$21.6K PEN 74.5K

-4.34%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$28.4K PEN 98.0K

-17.46%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$68.2 PEN 235

24.36%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$15.73 PEN 54.2

48.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$26.89 PEN 92.7

6.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.33 PEN 25.28

-29.88%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$306 PEN 1,056

-32.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-69.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$52.3 PEN 180

-17.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$35.37 PEN 122

17.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$84.4 PEN 291

-12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$77.8 PEN 268

14.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$405 PEN 1,396

321.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$463 PEN 1,597

58.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.78

30.41%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cerro de Pasco

$202 36.8% 20.8% $53

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3% 53.3% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cerro de Pasco

$111 20.2% 19% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.5% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cerro de Pasco

$15 * 2.7% 78.2% $53

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cerro de Pasco

$13 * 2.4% 73.5% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 59% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $30 in Cerro de Pasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $202 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

58,899

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cerro de Pasco 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $821 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $30 in Cerro de Pasco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $547, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $547 in Cerro de Pasco to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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