Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chihuahua

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Chihuahua: $1,204 and $1,228 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
Learn more

Chihuahua Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Chihuahua

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 Chihuahua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,228 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chihuahua $1,228

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,828 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chihuahua $1,828

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,428 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chihuahua $2,428

Playa del Carmen and Chihuahua have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Chihuahua are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Chihuahua 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$10.87 MX$203

0.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$32.23 MX$600

34.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.91 MX$203

7.97%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.44 MX$45.48

56.15%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.22 MX$22.78

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.78 MX$14.59

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.37 MX$44.15

33.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.85 MX$71.8

28.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.64 MX$30.48

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$3.16 MX$58.8

-29.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.97 MX$36.78

-27.92%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.60 MX$48.44

-3.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.26 MX$172

-21.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.90 MX$129

11.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$12.40 MX$231

2.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.44 MX$45.51

13.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.56 MX$29.03

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.97 MX$36.65

29.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$2.70 MX$50.3

-21.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.48 MX$46.20

-21.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.58 MX$48.06

-26.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.31 MX$24.38

-12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.17 MX$21.80

0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$4.41 MX$82.2

-2.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.15 MX$189

-1.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.45 MX$27.05

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.88 MX$53.7

-7.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.63 MX$11.80

-12.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$35.17 MX$655

-24.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.72 MX$50.7

82.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.73 MX$13.58

356.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.76 MX$182

-45.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.47 MX$27.43

-2.04%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$23.4K MX$436.8K

-11.86%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$23.5K MX$437.0K

0.03%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$81.3 MX$1,514

4.32%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$20.75 MX$386

12.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$22.96 MX$428

24.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$28.70 MX$535

98.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$15.92 MX$297

81.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.75 MX$88.5

8.21%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$264 MX$4,914

-21.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$3,304 MX$61.6K

18.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$48.00 MX$894

-9.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$24.12 MX$449

71.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$99.8 MX$1,860

-25.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$87.0 MX$1,621

2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$593 MX$11.0K

65.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$453 MX$8,445

-15.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,068 MX$19.9K

59.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$693 MX$12.9K

55.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,329 MX$62.0K

18.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,095 MX$20.4K

462.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$838 MX$15.6K

-12.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.84

5.63%

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 Chihuahua: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chihuahua

$453 36.9% 19% $72

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chihuahua

$274 22.3% 7.5% $19

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chihuahua

$177 14.4% 12.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chihuahua

$125 10.2% 8.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chihuahua

$117 9.5% 4.3% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chihuahua

$38 3.1% 43.3% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chihuahua

$44 3.6% 12.6% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $593 in Chihuahua. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Chihuahua. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $32 in Chihuahua. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $274 in Chihuahua – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

925,762

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chihuahua 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chihuahua

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 Chihuahua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,841 in Chihuahua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chihuahua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $593 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Chihuahua, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $264 in Chihuahua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,228 in Chihuahua, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,228 in Chihuahua. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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