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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,148 in Chita.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,782 in Chita.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,415 in Chita.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 11% more expensive than Chita, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Chita 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$12.67 ₽918

-6.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$18.89 ₽1,369

127.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$5.00 ₽363

113.00%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$1.93 ₽140

78.76%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$0.55 ₽39.51

172.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$0.29 ₽20.87

227.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$1.24 ₽89.6

144.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$1.88 ₽136

145.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$1.43 ₽104

-3.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$0.49 ₽35.74

277.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$1.91 ₽138

-15.71%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$2.02 ₽147

28.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$15.45 ₽1,120

-46.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$6.17 ₽447

35.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$12.45 ₽902

-14.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$2.86 ₽207

-8.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$2.48 ₽180

-39.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$2.57 ₽186

-25.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$1.91 ₽139

9.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$0.75 ₽54.2

148.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$0.48 ₽34.88

370.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$3.79 ₽275

-72.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$0.67 ₽48.56

62.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$2.99 ₽217

38.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$0.79 ₽57.3

117.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$1.11 ₽80.6

135.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$0.49 ₽35.56

10.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

$25.05 ₽1,815

7.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$2.20 ₽159

42.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$0.59 ₽42.68

325.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$7.03 ₽509

-55.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$0.74 ₽53.6

71.62%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$32.1K ₽2.3M

-5.38%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$19.0K ₽1.4M

23.88%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$118 ₽8,530

-29.49%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$6.42 ₽465

253.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$10.27 ₽744

186.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$31.90 ₽2,311

59.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

$14.33 ₽1,038

27.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$6.22 ₽451

-20.74%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$262 ₽19.0K

-24.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$7,069 ₽512.2K

-25.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$64.3 ₽4,659

-42.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$51.5 ₽3,732

-22.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$77.1 ₽5,586

3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$88.2 ₽6,392

1.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$635 ₽46.0K

50.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$453 ₽32.8K

5.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$1,162 ₽84.2K

41.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$840 ₽60.9K

45.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

$2,785 ₽201.8K

40.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

$2,042 ₽148.0K

216.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

$780 ₽56.5K

-14.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

-42.90%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Last update for Chita: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $635 in Chita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chita pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $19.00 in Chita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $231 per month, with Chita cheaper across the board.

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 Chita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Chita differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,271 vs $1,148 including rent). Chita is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Chita earns 17% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $635 in Chita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chita – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,148 in Chita versus $1,271 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chita but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Chita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Chita 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.