Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cuautitlan Izcalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuautitlan Izcalli: $1,122 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cuautitlan Izcalli
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Cuautitlan Izcalli Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Cuautitlan Izcalli

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cuautitlan Izcalli

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,122 in Cuautitlan Izcalli.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Cuautitlan Izcalli $1,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,708 in Cuautitlan Izcalli.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cuautitlan Izcalli $1,708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,294 in Cuautitlan Izcalli.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Cuautitlan Izcalli $2,294

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 7% more expensive than in Cuautitlan Izcalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cuautitlan Izcalli 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$10.81 MX$204

-1.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$25.43 MX$479

72.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$8.06 MX$152

46.28%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$3.17 MX$59.7

19.56%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.65 MX$31.10

-21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$1.25 MX$23.58

-33.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.49 MX$46.82

26.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$4.73 MX$89.1

4.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.59 MX$29.94

-11.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$2.75 MX$51.7

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.33 MX$25.06

10.53%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.82 MX$53.0

-11.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$2.62 MX$49.32

178.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$5.28 MX$99.4

50.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$6.93 MX$130

85.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.45 MX$46.13

18.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.59 MX$29.91

-13.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.33 MX$25.07

87.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$2.17 MX$40.87

-6.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$2.01 MX$37.87

0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.87 MX$35.23

1.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$1.53 MX$28.78

-25.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.06 MX$19.95

16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$4.22 MX$79.3

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$9.51 MX$179

3.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.59 MX$29.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$4.41 MX$82.9

-37.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.76 MX$14.36

-32.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$29.96 MX$564

-8.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.83 MX$15.65

473.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.49 MX$9.25

563.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$5.58 MX$105

-3.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.36 MX$25.61

12.50%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$21.2K MX$399.7K

-0.11%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$24.0K MX$452.3K

-3.21%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$62.4 MX$1,173

33.91%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$26.87 MX$506

-13.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$18.89 MX$355

46.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$32.39 MX$609

74.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$19.67 MX$370

43.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$4.24 MX$79.7

17.92%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$427 MX$8,042

-51.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$4,583 MX$86.3K

14.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$54.5 MX$1,026

-20.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$26.86 MX$506

58.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$109 MX$2,057

-33.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$54.4 MX$1,023

62.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$602 MX$11.3K

65.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$426 MX$8,024

-10.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$1,029 MX$19.4K

62.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$750 MX$14.1K

44.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,879 MX$35.4K

108.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,134 MX$21.3K

441.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.35

0.88%

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 Cuautitlan Izcalli: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$426 38% 11.5% $44

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$217 19.4% 15.5% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$182 16.3% 9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$108 9.6% 19.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$110 9.8% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$41 3.6% 38.5% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$36 3.2% 28% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $602 in Cuautitlan Izcalli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $25 in Cuautitlan Izcalli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $217 per month, with Cuautitlan Izcalli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Cuautitlan Izcalli

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

484,573

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cuautitlan Izcalli

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 Cuautitlan Izcalli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuautitlan Izcalli is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,682 in Cuautitlan Izcalli 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $602 in Cuautitlan Izcalli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $427 in Cuautitlan Izcalli. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Cuautitlan Izcalli 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.