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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,136 in Champotón.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,137 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,831 in Champotón.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,017 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,525 in Champotón.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 11% more expensive than in Champotón, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 6% lower, Champotón 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.99 MX$209

$10.70 MX$186

12.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.78 MX$728

$50.7 MX$883

-17.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$187

$7.87 MX$137

36.59%

Cappuccino

$3.50 MX$60.9

$3.65 MX$63.6

-4.11%

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

$1.45 MX$25.22

$1.22 MX$21.23

18.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 MX$15.41

$1.11 MX$19.25

-20.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 MX$51.3

$2.76 MX$47.98

6.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MX$78.6

$4.09 MX$71.2

10.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$1.04 MX$18.17

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 MX$31.99

$2.24 MX$38.96

-17.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$27.31

$1.56 MX$27.20

0.64%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$43.74

$1.91 MX$33.25

31.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 MX$144

$10.08 MX$176

-17.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 MX$147

$6.99 MX$122

20.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 MX$186

$6.59 MX$115

62.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.43

$2.86 MX$49.72

-8.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.04

$1.41 MX$24.61

2.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.16

$2.14 MX$37.34

-8.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$36.47

$1.71 MX$29.71

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$32.24

$2.06 MX$35.88

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 MX$37.74

$1.92 MX$33.49

13.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 MX$17.96

$1.08 MX$18.89

-4.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.70

$0.98 MX$17.00

9.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 MX$71.4

$4.28 MX$74.6

-4.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 MX$177

$9.95 MX$173

2.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$29.17

$1.32 MX$22.98

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 MX$43.98

$2.74 MX$47.68

-7.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$8.87

$0.66 MX$11.50

-22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.04 MX$453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$56.3

$2.32 MX$40.33

39.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 MX$41.88

$1.52 MX$26.54

58.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$56.2

$6.57 MX$114

-50.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.00

$1.31 MX$22.86

0.76%

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

$29.7K MX$517.1K

$15.7K MX$273.9K

88.80%

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

$23.7K MX$412.0K

$21.6K MX$375.5K

9.73%

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

$82.0 MX$1,428

$84.5 MX$1,470

-2.89%

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

$22.95 MX$400

$23.64 MX$412

-2.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.11 MX$524

$29.52 MX$514

2.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 MX$905

$35.77 MX$623

45.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.53 MX$323

$15.99 MX$278

15.88%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$86.6

$4.58 MX$79.7

8.73%

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

$197 MX$3,438

$202 MX$3,523

-2.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,336 MX$92.9K

$3,465 MX$60.3K

53.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.60 MX$620

$56.5 MX$984

-37.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.33 MX$702

$48.15 MX$838

-16.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 MX$1,371

$90.8 MX$1,580

-13.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,549

$83.2 MX$1,449

6.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.5K

$503 MX$8,763

88.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 MX$8,254

$404 MX$7,041

17.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 MX$28.6K

$920 MX$16.0K

78.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.1K

$771 MX$13.4K

57.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,056 MX$70.6K

$2,151 MX$37.5K

88.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,470 MX$112.7K

$1,105 MX$19.2K

485.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 MX$11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

11.68

-2.23%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 13, 2026

Last update for Champotón: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $947 in Playa del Carmen and $503 in Champotón. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $51.0 in Champotón. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $230, with Champotón cheaper for home cooking.

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 Champotón: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Champotón wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Champotón the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,884 in Playa del Carmen and $1,705 in Champotón to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $947 in Playa del Carmen versus $503 in Champotón. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $202 in Champotón. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Champotón – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $42.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,136 in Champotón versus $1,256 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Champotón but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Champotón the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Champotón delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,136 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Champotón hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Champotón are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Champotón gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.