Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Coronado

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,342 in Coronado, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Coronado outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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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

$1,204

/mo nomad

Coronado

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,342

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,342 in Coronado.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Coronado $1,342

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,171 in Coronado.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Coronado $2,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,999 in Coronado.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Coronado $2,999

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 10% less than in Coronado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$11.95 PAB 11.95

-8.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$54.9 PAB 54.9

-21.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.98 PAB 8.98

31.18%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.83 PAB 3.83

-0.52%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.22 PAB 1.22

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.91 PAB 0.91

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.03 PAB 1.03

207.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.48 PAB 2.48

98.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.88 PAB 1.88

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.53 PAB 1.53

45.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.31 PAB 2.31

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.93 PAB 11.93

-39.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.84 PAB 6.84

12.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$9.00 PAB 9.00

41.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$0.89 PAB 0.89

53.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.94 PAB 2.94

-13.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.97 PAB 2.97

-28.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.85 PAB 1.85

4.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.89 PAB 1.89

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.56 PAB 2.56

-55.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.31 PAB 8.31

19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.69 PAB 0.69

128.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$0.75 PAB 0.75

256.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.72 PAB 0.72

-23.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.49 PAB 1.49

233.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.52 PAB 1.52

119.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.91 PAB 0.91

58.24%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$33.5K PAB 33.5K

-30.05%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$168 PAB 168

-49.52%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$20.91 PAB 20.91

11.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$58.0 PAB 58.0

-50.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$60.0 PAB 60.0

-4.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$3.34 PAB 3.34

53.89%

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

$207 MX$3,878

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$44.21 PAB 44.21

-1.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$64.3 PAB 64.3

38.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$762 PAB 762

28.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$567 PAB 567

-32.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,234 PAB 1,234

38.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,305 PAB 1,305

-17.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$2,001 PAB 2,001

207.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$456 PAB 456

61.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Coronado: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Coronado

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Coronado

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Coronado

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Coronado

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Coronado

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Coronado

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Coronado

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $762 in Coronado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $55 in Coronado. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $213, with Coronado cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇦 Coronado

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,444

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Coronado 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Coronado

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 Coronado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Coronado. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 61% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $762 in Coronado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,342 in Coronado – Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Shoppers in Coronado pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.