Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,163 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,163

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,163 in Cozumel.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cozumel $1,163

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,813 in Cozumel.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cozumel $1,813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,464 in Cozumel.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cozumel $2,464

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 4% more expensive than in Cozumel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cozumel 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$8.67 MX$163

25.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$43.79 MX$822

-0.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.00 MX$150

47.25%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.76 MX$51.7

38.04%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.06 MX$19.85

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.94 MX$17.68

-17.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.58 MX$29.60

100.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.07 MX$57.6

60.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.46 MX$27.48

-3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.64 MX$30.83

35.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.76 MX$32.96

-19.32%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.85 MX$34.71

36.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.02 MX$188

-27.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.79 MX$146

-1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$12.30 MX$231

3.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.36 MX$44.28

17.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.37 MX$25.79

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.14 MX$40.23

19.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.53 MX$28.77

38.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.20 MX$41.22

-11.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.81 MX$33.98

4.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.45 MX$27.31

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.10 MX$20.60

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$4.42 MX$83.0

-2.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.59 MX$199

-6.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.49 MX$28.01

6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.50 MX$46.93

6.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.59 MX$11.02

-6.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$29.76 MX$559

-10.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.61 MX$49.00

90.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$2.89 MX$54.3

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$8.76 MX$165

-38.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.32 MX$24.80

9.09%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$19.5K MX$365.6K

6.11%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$23.1K MX$433.7K

1.57%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$57.8 MX$1,085

46.72%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$20.69 MX$388

13.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$21.21 MX$398

35.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$37.82 MX$710

50.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$19.69 MX$370

46.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$5.97 MX$112

-13.90%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$259 MX$4,861

-20.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$3,514 MX$66.0K

11.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$55.1 MX$1,034

-21.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$52.5 MX$985

-21.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$99.4 MX$1,867

-25.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$83.6 MX$1,570

6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$599 MX$11.2K

63.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$435 MX$8,162

-12.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,573 MX$29.5K

8.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$741 MX$13.9K

45.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,899 MX$35.6K

107.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,140 MX$21.4K

440.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$651 MX$12.2K

12.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.64

-1.63%

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 Cozumel: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cozumel

$435 37.4% 14.2% $54

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cozumel

$250 21.5% 1.7% $4.3

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cozumel

$148 12.8% 26.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cozumel

$100 8.6% 27.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cozumel

$131 11.2% 17.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cozumel

$50 4.3% 26.1% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cozumel

$49 4.2% 2.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $599 in Cozumel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 13% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $44 in Cozumel. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $250, with Cozumel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

77,236

💱 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

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Cozumel 28 km

From you

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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 Cozumel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,163 in Cozumel, so Cozumel is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $599 in Cozumel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $259 in Cozumel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,163 in Cozumel – Cozumel is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Cozumel gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cozumel delivers better value at $1,163 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cozumel hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Cozumel 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.