Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cuauhtémoc

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Cuauhtémoc: $1,202 and $1,191 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Cuauhtémoc
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Cuauhtémoc Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Cuauhtémoc

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,191 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Cuauhtémoc $1,191

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,860 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cuauhtémoc $1,860

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,530 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Cuauhtémoc $2,530

Playa del Carmen and Cuauhtémoc have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cuauhtémoc are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cuauhtémoc 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$10.82 MX$203

-1.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$43.33 MX$814

1.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$8.33 MX$156

41.54%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$3.43 MX$64.4

10.50%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$1.32 MX$24.85

-1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$1.05 MX$19.67

-20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$2.46 MX$46.22

28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.15 MX$77.9

18.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.58 MX$29.59

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$2.53 MX$47.43

-13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.69 MX$31.68

-13.02%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$2.46 MX$46.20

1.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$8.20 MX$154

-11.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$8.13 MX$153

-2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$11.23 MX$211

14.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$2.65 MX$49.72

9.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$1.48 MX$27.85

-6.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$1.92 MX$35.99

29.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$1.82 MX$34.21

11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$1.98 MX$37.23

2.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$1.80 MX$33.82

5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$1.43 MX$26.92

-20.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.07 MX$20.02

15.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$4.30 MX$80.7

-0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$10.08 MX$189

-2.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$1.77 MX$33.30

-10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$3.03 MX$56.9

-9.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$0.67 MX$12.63

-23.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$30.53 MX$573

-10.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$2.63 MX$49.32

80.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$1.90 MX$35.73

71.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$10.79 MX$203

-50.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$1.48 MX$27.79

3.38%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$23.4K MX$438.7K

-9.19%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$23.8K MX$446.5K

-2.14%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$56.6 MX$1,062

47.61%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$22.47 MX$422

3.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$29.33 MX$551

-5.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$31.80 MX$597

77.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$19.76 MX$371

42.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$4.98 MX$93.5

0.40%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$212 MX$3,978

-2.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$4,464 MX$83.8K

17.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$53.2 MX$1,000

-18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$39.97 MX$751

6.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$96.9 MX$1,820

-24.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$87.8 MX$1,648

0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$592 MX$11.1K

67.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$429 MX$8,051

-10.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$1,015 MX$19.1K

64.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$747 MX$14.0K

44.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$1,880 MX$35.3K

107.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$1,105 MX$20.7K

455.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.31

1.24%

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 Cuauhtémoc: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Cuauhtémoc

$429 36% 12.1% $46

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Cuauhtémoc

$259 21.7% 0.5% $1.2

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Cuauhtémoc

$183 15.4% 8.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Cuauhtémoc

$108 9.1% 19.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Cuauhtémoc

$125 10.5% 12.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Cuauhtémoc

$42 3.5% 37.2% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cuauhtémoc

$45 3.8% 10.1% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $592 in Cuauhtémoc. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $43 in Cuauhtémoc. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $259 in Cuauhtémoc – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

545,884

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cuauhtémoc 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cuauhtémoc

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 Cuauhtémoc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,786 in Cuauhtémoc. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuauhtémoc, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $592 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $212 in Cuauhtémoc. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,191 in Cuauhtémoc, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cuauhtémoc costs $1,191 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.