Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Ciudad del Carmen: $1,202 and $1,206 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Carmen
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Ciudad del Carmen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Ciudad del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Ciudad del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,206 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Ciudad del Carmen $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,876 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ciudad del Carmen $1,876

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,546 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Ciudad del Carmen $2,546

Monthly costs are close between Playa del Carmen and Ciudad del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Ciudad del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$10.92 MX$204

-2.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$43.18 MX$808

1.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$8.49 MX$159

38.87%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$3.41 MX$63.9

11.14%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$1.32 MX$24.77

-1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$1.05 MX$19.65

-20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$2.39 MX$44.75

31.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$4.01 MX$75.0

22.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.62 MX$30.24

-12.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$2.63 MX$49.14

-16.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.68 MX$31.34

-12.50%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$2.47 MX$46.27

1.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.06 MX$151

-9.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$8.30 MX$155

-4.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$11.23 MX$210

14.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$2.66 MX$49.67

9.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.51 MX$28.23

-8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$1.90 MX$35.60

31.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$1.84 MX$34.39

10.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$2.03 MX$37.95

-0.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.82 MX$33.96

4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$1.40 MX$26.11

-18.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$1.06 MX$19.78

16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$4.42 MX$82.8

-3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$10.31 MX$193

-4.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.73 MX$32.33

-8.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$3.19 MX$59.7

-13.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$0.62 MX$11.55

-17.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$30.63 MX$573

-10.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$2.59 MX$48.49

83.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$1.91 MX$35.70

70.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$10.56 MX$198

-48.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.42 MX$26.64

7.75%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$24.1K MX$450.1K

-11.85%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$23.4K MX$437.8K

-0.62%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$56.0 MX$1,048

49.06%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$22.36 MX$418

3.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$28.71 MX$537

-3.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$32.39 MX$606

74.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$20.12 MX$376

40.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$5.03 MX$94.0

-0.60%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$217 MX$4,062

-4.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$4,449 MX$83.2K

17.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$53.1 MX$993

-18.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$39.89 MX$746

6.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$98.8 MX$1,849

-26.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$87.9 MX$1,645

0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$589 MX$11.0K

69.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$441 MX$8,252

-13.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$1,027 MX$19.2K

62.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$754 MX$14.1K

43.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$1,863 MX$34.8K

109.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$1,106 MX$20.7K

455.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.31

1.24%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ciudad del Carmen: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Ciudad del Carmen

$441 36.6% 15.4% $59

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Ciudad del Carmen

$261 21.7% 1.5% $3.8

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Ciudad del Carmen

$183 15.2% 8.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Ciudad del Carmen

$107 8.9% 20.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Ciudad del Carmen

$126 10.4% 13.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Ciudad del Carmen

$42 3.5% 36.1% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ciudad del Carmen

$45 3.8% 10.3% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $589 in Ciudad del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $43 in Ciudad del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $261, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Ciudad del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:11 1:11 PM

12:11 12:11 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

191,238

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ciudad del Carmen 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ciudad del Carmen

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 Ciudad del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,809 in Ciudad del Carmen 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $589 in Ciudad del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $217 in Ciudad del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 11% less than in Ciudad del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.