Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chone

For one person, living is cheaper in Chone: $732 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chone
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Chone Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Chone

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $732 in Chone.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Chone $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,240 in Chone.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Chone $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,748 in Chone.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Chone $1,748

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 65% more expensive than in Chone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Chone 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.77 $3.77

185.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$31.29 $31.29

37.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.91 $5.91

99.49%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.48 $2.48

56.05%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.86 $0.86

59.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.69 $0.69

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.07 $2.07

49.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.08 $4.08

24.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.12 $1.12

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.52 $1.52

46.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.57 $1.57

-6.37%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.00 $2.00

26.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$6.64 $6.64

9.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$4.55 $4.55

72.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$6.32 $6.32

102.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.55 $1.55

87.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$0.97 $0.97

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.04 $1.04

145.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.03 $1.03

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.13 $1.13

76.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.03 $1.03

95.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.71 $0.71

67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.08 $1.08

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$5.01 $5.01

-12.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$8.56 $8.56

12.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.63 $1.63

-2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.76 $2.76

1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.31 $0.31

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$17.28 $17.28

61.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.32 $1.32

277.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.23 $1.23

184.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$8.58 $8.58

-37.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.86 $0.86

70.93%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$21.7K $21.7K

-3.14%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$33.0K $33.0K

-27.56%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$41.43 $41.43

103.26%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$13.59 $13.59

76.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$25.32 $25.32

14.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$33.32 $33.32

89.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$15.43 $15.43

88.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$6.33 $6.33

-21.96%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$207 $207

-1.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$5,025 $5,025

-21.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$55.5 $55.5

-21.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$47.21 $47.21

-8.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$109 $109

-30.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$79.7 $79.7

11.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$319 $319

216.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$169 $169

121.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$788 $788

116.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$451 $451

145.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,272 $1,272

210.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$807 $807

664.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.05

13.93%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chone: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Chone

$169 23.1% 54.9% $205

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Chone

$177 24.2% 31.4% $81

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Chone

$102 14% 49.4% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Chone

$80 11% 41.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Chone

$131 17.9% 16% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Chone

$46 6.3% 36.9% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Chone

$26 3.6% 50.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $319 in Chone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $31.00 in Chone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $177 per month, with Chone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Chone

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,751

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chone 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chone

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 Chone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chone wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $1,097 in Chone 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $319 in Chone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $732 in Chone – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chone runs roughly 61% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $732 in Chone versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chone but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Chone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chone delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $732 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chone hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Chone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.