Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Coatzacoalcos

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Coatzacoalcos: $1,204 and $1,207 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Coatzacoalcos, Mexico
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Coatzacoalcos
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,207
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,207 in Coatzacoalcos, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Coatzacoalcos $1,207

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,904 in Coatzacoalcos, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Coatzacoalcos $1,904

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,600 in Coatzacoalcos, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Coatzacoalcos $2,600

Playa del Carmen and Coatzacoalcos have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Coatzacoalcos are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Coatzacoalcos 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$203
$11.14 MX$207
-1.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$805
$46.72 MX$868
-7.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$219
$8.38 MX$156
40.57%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$70.7
$3.32 MX$61.7
14.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.81
$1.32 MX$24.54
-3.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.54
$1.11 MX$20.53
-29.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$58.8
$2.44 MX$45.34
29.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.7
$3.52 MX$65.3
40.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.12
$1.39 MX$25.83
1.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.17
$2.18 MX$40.43
1.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.32
$1.60 MX$29.68
-11.25%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$46.85
$2.35 MX$43.71
7.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$7.35 MX$136
-1.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$7.28 MX$135
5.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$236
$12.61 MX$234
0.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.7
$2.84 MX$52.7
-2.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.41
$1.30 MX$24.09
5.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.37
$1.75 MX$32.49
45.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.43
$1.60 MX$29.64
32.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.00
$2.15 MX$39.96
-9.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.02
$1.69 MX$31.35
11.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.29
$1.31 MX$24.33
-12.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.89
$1.22 MX$22.58
-3.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$79.8
$4.92 MX$91.3
-12.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$10.32 MX$192
-3.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.41
$1.99 MX$37.01
-20.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.60
$2.72 MX$50.5
-1.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.28
$0.66 MX$12.22
-16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$494
$29.85 MX$554
-10.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.3
$2.29 MX$42.58
117.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$61.9
$1.82 MX$33.84
82.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.5
$12.18 MX$226
-55.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.82
$1.51 MX$28.00
-4.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$383.8K
$24.4K MX$453.2K
-15.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$435.8K
$24.7K MX$459.6K
-5.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,575
$63.2 MX$1,174
34.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$435
$23.49 MX$436
-0.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$532
$26.32 MX$489
8.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,059
$34.44 MX$640
65.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$537
$20.78 MX$386
39.12%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.4
$5.15 MX$95.6
-0.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,836
$235 MX$4,357
-11.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$72.9K
$3,974 MX$73.8K
-1.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$805
$47.70 MX$886
-9.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$770
$45.11 MX$838
-8.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,378
$108 MX$2,010
-31.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,657
$101 MX$1,878
-11.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.2K
$578 MX$10.7K
69.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,072
$436 MX$8,101
-12.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.7K
$1,059 MX$19.7K
61.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$785 MX$14.6K
36.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.2K
$1,818 MX$33.8K
116.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.4K
$1,109 MX$20.6K
455.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Coatzacoalcos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.6K
-
-
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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Coatzacoalcos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Coatzacoalcos
$436 14.5% $55
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Coatzacoalcos
$250 1.7% $4.4
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Coatzacoalcos
$183 9.5% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Coatzacoalcos
$113 17.4% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Coatzacoalcos
$136 21.7% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Coatzacoalcos
$45 33.5% $23
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Coatzacoalcos
$44 13% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $578 in Coatzacoalcos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $47 in Coatzacoalcos. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $250 in Coatzacoalcos – so Coatzacoalcos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Coatzacoalcos
🕒 Local time
22:02 10:02 PM
21:02 9:02 PM
1 h behind Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
212,540
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Coatzacoalcos 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Coatzacoalcos

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 Coatzacoalcos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,811 in Coatzacoalcos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Coatzacoalcos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $578 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Coatzacoalcos?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $47 in Coatzacoalcos. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $235 in Coatzacoalcos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Coatzacoalcos?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,207 in Coatzacoalcos, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Coatzacoalcos?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,207 in Coatzacoalcos. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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