Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cuajimalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuajimalpa: $1,141 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Cuajimalpa
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Cuajimalpa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cuajimalpa

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,141 in Cuajimalpa.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cuajimalpa $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,827 in Cuajimalpa.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Cuajimalpa $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,514 in Cuajimalpa.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Cuajimalpa $2,514

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 6% more expensive than in Cuajimalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cuajimalpa 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$10.81 MX$200

0.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$43.13 MX$797

2.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.35 MX$154

40.84%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.60 MX$66.6

2.22%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.40 MX$25.87

-4.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.06 MX$19.50

-22.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.52 MX$46.60

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.96 MX$73.2

24.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.58 MX$29.16

-6.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.64 MX$48.81

-15.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.70 MX$31.34

-12.94%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.46 MX$45.39

1.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.08 MX$149

-6.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.10 MX$150

-1.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.30 MX$209

11.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.79 MX$51.5

-0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.51 MX$27.83

-5.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.86 MX$34.44

40.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.81 MX$33.42

18.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.00 MX$36.89

1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.91 MX$35.21

4.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.43 MX$26.42

-20.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.12 MX$20.79

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.44 MX$82.1

-4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.50 MX$194

-4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.79 MX$33.13

-13.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.18 MX$58.8

-16.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.69 MX$12.73

-23.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.62 MX$48.32

87.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.01 MX$37.15

70.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$10.91 MX$202

-50.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.44 MX$26.64

0.69%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$20.9K MX$386.5K

1.17%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$24.3K MX$448.9K

-5.25%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$57.5 MX$1,063

48.43%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$22.78 MX$421

2.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$29.83 MX$551

-4.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$34.34 MX$635

81.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$20.21 MX$373

41.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.31 MX$98.1

-3.95%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$223 MX$4,122

-9.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$4,649 MX$85.9K

-15.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$54.5 MX$1,008

-18.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$41.13 MX$760

0.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$101 MX$1,863

-27.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$88.6 MX$1,636

1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$600 MX$11.1K

63.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$395 MX$7,290

-5.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,021 MX$18.9K

64.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$764 MX$14.1K

43.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,905 MX$35.2K

107.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,154 MX$21.3K

431.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Cuajimalpa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Cuajimalpa

$395 34.6% 5.8% $22

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Cuajimalpa

$262 23% 1.5% $3.9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Cuajimalpa

$185 16.2% 7.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cuajimalpa

$110 9.7% 19.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cuajimalpa

$128 11.2% 14.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Cuajimalpa

$45 3.9% 37.9% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Cuajimalpa

$15 * 1.4% 70.2% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $43.00 in Cuajimalpa. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $262, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Cuajimalpa

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

07:56 7:56 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

217,686

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cuajimalpa 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cuajimalpa

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 Cuajimalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuajimalpa is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,711 in Cuajimalpa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $223 in Cuajimalpa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuajimalpa – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,141 in Cuajimalpa versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuajimalpa but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cuajimalpa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cuajimalpa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Cuajimalpa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cuajimalpa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.