Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Coquimbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Coquimbo: $549 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Coquimbo

🇨🇱 Chile

$549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $549 in Coquimbo.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Coquimbo $549

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $915 in Coquimbo.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Coquimbo $915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,282 in Coquimbo.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Coquimbo $1,282

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 119% more expensive than in Coquimbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Coquimbo 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$6.63 CLP 6,500

60.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$45.37 CLP 44.5K

-3.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.29 CLP 6,160

87.44%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.59 CLP 3,516

5.57%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.09 CLP 1,070

19.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.99 CLP 972

-16.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.98 CLP 3,900

-20.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.65 CLP 4,561

6.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.02 CLP 1,001

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.07 CLP 3,010

-28.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.23 CLP 1,201

19.51%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.49 CLP 2,444

0.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.00 CLP 7,838

-8.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.29 CLP 1,261

124.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.79 CLP 1,753

-22.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.03 CLP 1,007

141.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$0.94 CLP 920

115.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.23 CLP 1,210

54.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.59 CLP 583

93.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.27 CLP 1,248

-2.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$4.99 CLP 4,886

-14.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$8.30 CLP 8,137

18.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$4.42 CLP 4,335

-37.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.78 CLP 767

-34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.40 CLP 1,369

9.29%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$100 CLP 98.4K

-16.82%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$12.06 CLP 11.8K

92.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$25.38 CLP 24.9K

122.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$4.95 CLP 4,849

469.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.09 CLP 4,010

22.25%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$253 CLP 248.2K

-18.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$27.7K CLP 27.2M

-81.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$44.96 CLP 44.1K

-3.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$25.74 CLP 25.2K

65.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$61.2 CLP 59.9K

18.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$81.1 CLP 79.4K

9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$606 CLP 594.2K

37.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

129.00%

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 Coquimbo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Coquimbo

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Coquimbo

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Coquimbo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Coquimbo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Coquimbo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Coquimbo

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Coquimbo

–

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $45 in Coquimbo. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $151, with Coquimbo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇱 Coquimbo

🕒 Local time

14:10 2:10 PM

16:10 4:10 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

204,068

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.2 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 980 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,097 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Coquimbo 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
Coquimbo

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 Coquimbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $549 in Coquimbo, so Coquimbo is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $253 in Coquimbo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $549 in Coquimbo – Coquimbo is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $549 in Coquimbo versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Coquimbo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Coquimbo 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.

It comes down to priorities – Coquimbo wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.