Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chimaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $750 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $750 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chimaltenango $750

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,252 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chimaltenango $1,252

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,753 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chimaltenango $1,753

Playa del Carmen costs about 61% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Chimaltenango are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Chimaltenango 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.93 Q 52.9

57.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$49.84 Q 381

-12.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.86 Q 60.1

49.87%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.30 Q 25.23

15.45%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.11 Q 8.49

15.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.92 Q 7.01

-15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.34 Q 25.52

-5.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.65 Q 35.56

6.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.99 Q 15.20

-29.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$3.11 Q 23.75

-28.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.05 Q 15.66

-30.73%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.41 Q 18.45

4.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$6.23 Q 47.63

16.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.68 Q 74.0

-20.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$13.41 Q 102

-5.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.96 Q 30.23

-29.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.73 Q 13.22

-20.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.91 Q 22.21

-12.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.64 Q 12.52

29.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.49 Q 11.41

30.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.09 Q 16.01

-9.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.70 Q 5.32

64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.19 Q 9.12

-0.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.16 Q 31.76

3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.23 Q 62.9

20.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.75 Q 13.36

-9.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.59 Q 19.76

3.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$5.32 Q 40.62

-6.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$10.37 Q 79.2

-48.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.32 Q 10.10

9.09%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$27.3K Q 208.7K

-24.35%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$25.3K Q 193.1K

-7.16%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$72.4 Q 554

17.05%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$28.72 Q 219

-18.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$46.00 Q 351

-37.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$6.67 Q 51.0

-22.94%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$333 Q 2,548

-38.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$6,742 Q 51.5K

-41.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$50.3 Q 384

-13.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$47.48 Q 363

-12.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$120 Q 916

-38.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$114 Q 874

-21.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.62

-1.46%

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 Chimaltenango: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chimaltenango

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chimaltenango

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chimaltenango

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chimaltenango

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chimaltenango

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chimaltenango

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chimaltenango

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $50 in Chimaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $282 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

43,900

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chimaltenango 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chimaltenango

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 Chimaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 61% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,125 in Chimaltenango. 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 $50 in Chimaltenango. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $750 in Chimaltenango to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.