Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Coamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,710 in Coamo, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Coamo, Puerto Rico
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Coamo
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,710
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,710 in Coamo.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Coamo $1,710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,676 in Coamo.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Coamo $2,676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,642 in Coamo.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Coamo $3,642

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 30% less than in Coamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Coamo is 26% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Coamo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$17.03 $17.03
-37.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$80.5 $80.5
-45.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$8.96 $8.96
31.58%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.69 $3.69
2.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.82 $1.82
-28.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$1.44 $1.44
-42.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$2.92 $2.92
7.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$4.89 $4.89
0.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Coamo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$2.11 $2.11
-33.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.97 $1.97
11.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$1.01 $1.01
45.54%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$4.84 $4.84
-48.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$12.74 $12.74
-42.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$9.85 $9.85
-19.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$13.46 $13.46
-4.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$5.21 $5.21
-44.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.67 $2.67
-48.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$4.89 $4.89
-49.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$4.74 $4.74
-57.17%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$3.83 $3.83
-47.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$4.03 $4.03
-52.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$2.94 $2.94
-61.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$1.57 $1.57
-21.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$12.10 $12.10
-64.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$15.44 $15.44
-36.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.40 $1.40
13.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$1.95 $1.95
41.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Coamo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$2.43 $2.43
95.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$1.52 $1.52
113.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$42.19 $42.19
-87.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.02 $1.02
50.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$34.2K $34.2K
-37.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$27.3K $27.3K
-14.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Coamo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$324 $324
-74.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$69.9 $69.9
-66.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$70.4 $70.4
-60.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Coamo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$6.95 $6.95
-28.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Coamo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$827 $827
-74.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$12.7K $12.7K
-58.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Coamo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$56.1 $56.1
-22.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$61.1 $61.1
-30.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$107 $107
-31.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$115 $115
-23.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Coamo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$654 $654
52.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$455 $455
-15.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$1,486 $1,486
12.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$951 $951
13.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Coamo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$2,840 $2,840
-70.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.55
74.81%

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 Coamo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Coamo
$455 18.9% $72
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Coamo
$369 43.5% $112
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Coamo
$245 22.2% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Coamo
$464 246% $330
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Coamo
$153 37.3% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Coamo
$14 * 79.1% $53
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Coamo
$10 * 80.1% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $654 in Coamo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Coamo pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $81 in Coamo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $369 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇷 Coamo
🕒 Local time
23:18 11:18 PM
00:18 12:18 AM
1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
40,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Coamo 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Coamo

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 Coamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Playa del Carmen and in Coamo?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,710 in Coamo, so Playa del Carmen is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Coamo?
Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $654 in Coamo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Coamo?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $827 in Coamo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $81 in Coamo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,710 in Coamo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Coamo. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Coamo?
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.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Coamo?
It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Coamo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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