Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ciudad Juarez

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Juarez: $1,140 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Juarez
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Ciudad Juarez Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ciudad Juarez $1,140

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,839 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ciudad Juarez $1,839

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,538 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ciudad Juarez $2,538

Playa del Carmen costs about 6% more than Ciudad Juarez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ciudad Juarez are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ciudad Juarez 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$9.24 MX$174

18.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$32.44 MX$610

33.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.16 MX$191

15.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.82 MX$52.9

35.11%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.07 MX$20.07

19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.70 MX$13.08

11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.03 MX$38.21

56.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.19 MX$78.7

17.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.74 MX$32.64

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.31 MX$43.35

-3.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.58 MX$29.68

-10.13%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.26 MX$42.56

11.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$12.64 MX$237

-42.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.68 MX$125

15.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$11.92 MX$224

6.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.63 MX$49.35

5.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.07 MX$38.84

-33.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.79 MX$33.62

42.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.06 MX$38.69

2.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.63 MX$30.67

19.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.19 MX$41.08

-13.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.56 MX$29.27

-26.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.06 MX$19.97

11.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.50 MX$84.7

-4.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.59 MX$199

-6.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.24 MX$23.29

27.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.22 MX$60.5

-17.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.63 MX$11.79

-12.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$27.40 MX$515

-2.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$4.14 MX$77.7

20.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.11 MX$20.83

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$16.00 MX$301

-66.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.33 MX$25.01

8.27%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$20.8K MX$391.8K

-0.87%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$24.2K MX$454.9K

-3.07%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$82.7 MX$1,554

2.56%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$22.53 MX$423

3.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$28.53 MX$536

0.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$32.02 MX$602

78.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$14.54 MX$273

98.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$4.35 MX$81.8

18.16%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$218 MX$4,096

-5.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$2,777 MX$52.2K

41.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$58.1 MX$1,092

-25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$32.58 MX$612

27.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$72.9 MX$1,369

1.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$81.1 MX$1,524

10.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$607 MX$11.4K

61.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$384 MX$7,218

-0.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,010 MX$19.0K

69.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$851 MX$16.0K

26.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$955 MX$17.9K

313.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$686 MX$12.9K

798.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$567 MX$10.7K

29.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.32

1.15%

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 Ciudad Juarez: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ciudad Juarez

$384 33.7% 0.8% $3.2

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ciudad Juarez

$268 23.5% 5.2% $13

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ciudad Juarez

$164 14.4% 19.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ciudad Juarez

$134 11.7% 2.3% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ciudad Juarez

$110 9.7% 1.4% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ciudad Juarez

$41 3.6% 39.5% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ciudad Juarez

$40 3.5% 21.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $607 in Ciudad Juarez. 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 30% higher in Playa del Carmen. 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 Ciudad Juarez. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $268 in Ciudad Juarez – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Ciudad Juarez

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,501,551

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ciudad Juarez 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ciudad Juarez

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 Juarez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez – Ciudad Juarez comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,710 in Ciudad Juarez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ciudad Juarez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $32 in Ciudad Juarez. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez. That makes Ciudad Juarez about 5% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez, 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 $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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