Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $941 in Colima.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Colima $941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,533 in Colima.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Colima $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,125 in Colima.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Colima $2,125

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 28% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Colima 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.36 MX$138

48.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$32.08 MX$602

35.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.15 MX$134

64.76%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.09 MX$39.23

82.30%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.97 MX$18.25

31.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.83 MX$15.52

-6.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.20 MX$41.26

44.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.48 MX$46.62

98.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.51 MX$28.33

-6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.54 MX$47.64

-12.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.14 MX$21.37

24.56%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.77 MX$52.0

-9.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.19 MX$154

-11.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$8.31 MX$156

-7.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$9.69 MX$182

30.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.80 MX$52.6

-0.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.35 MX$25.42

1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.69 MX$31.65

50.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.12 MX$39.79

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.29 MX$43.04

-15.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.27 MX$42.59

-16.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.47 MX$27.52

-21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.11 MX$20.89

6.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$3.73 MX$70.1

15.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.36 MX$119

56.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.49 MX$27.96

6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.73 MX$32.53

54.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.68 MX$12.70

-19.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$19.57 MX$367

36.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.49 MX$46.74

99.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$2.77 MX$52.0

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$9.16 MX$172

-41.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.38 MX$25.95

4.35%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$22.1K MX$415.8K

-6.70%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$22.0K MX$412.4K

6.82%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$65.5 MX$1,229

29.53%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$19.85 MX$373

17.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$28.60 MX$537

0.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$34.63 MX$650

64.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$21.43 MX$402

34.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$4.68 MX$88.0

9.83%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$141 MX$2,652

46.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$2,527 MX$47.4K

55.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$44.57 MX$837

-2.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$24.99 MX$469

65.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$73.3 MX$1,376

1.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$98.0 MX$1,840

-8.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$257 MX$4,825

281.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$263 MX$4,931

44.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$369 MX$6,926

362.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$574 MX$10.8K

87.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$280 MX$5,261

162.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.3

1.33%

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 Colima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Colima

$263 27.9% 31% $118

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Colima

$245 26% 3.8% $9.8

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Colima

$129 13.7% 36.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Colima

$114 12.1% 16.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Colima

$108 11.5% 3% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Colima

$44 4.7% 34.6% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Colima

$39 4.1% 23.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $257 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $32 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $245 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

146,965

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Playa del Carmen Colima 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $941 in Colima, so Colima is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $257 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 26% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $141 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $941 in Colima versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.