Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cuautla

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,245 in Cuautla, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Cuautla
Learn more

Cuautla Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cuautla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,245 in Cuautla.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cuautla $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,023 in Cuautla.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cuautla $2,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,801 in Cuautla.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cuautla $2,801

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 3% less than in Cuautla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cuautla 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$61.4 MX$1,150

-29.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.67 MX$181

21.82%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$3.51 MX$65.7

8.55%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.63 MX$30.49

-21.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$1.08 MX$20.16

-27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$3.20 MX$60.0

-0.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$5.50 MX$103

-10.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.91 MX$35.81

-26.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$2.70 MX$50.6

-17.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.98 MX$37.05

-28.28%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.71 MX$50.7

-7.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.53 MX$160

-14.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$8.71 MX$163

-11.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.62 MX$255

-6.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$3.43 MX$64.3

-18.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.64 MX$30.67

-16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$2.11 MX$39.62

20.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.92 MX$36.02

10.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.79 MX$33.56

8.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.79 MX$33.49

5.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.50 MX$28.02

-23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.16 MX$21.82

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$4.46 MX$83.5

-3.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$17.34 MX$325

-42.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.10 MX$39.37

-24.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.78 MX$70.9

-29.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.63 MX$11.84

-12.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$29.38 MX$550

-9.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$3.24 MX$60.8

53.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$2.50 MX$46.93

33.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$10.67 MX$200

-49.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.25 MX$23.40

15.20%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$23.8K MX$446.3K

-13.23%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$23.5K MX$439.6K

0.03%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$57.5 MX$1,077

47.51%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$26.76 MX$501

-12.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$24.76 MX$464

15.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$33.01 MX$619

72.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$19.49 MX$365

48.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$7.35 MX$138

-30.07%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$259 MX$4,854

-20.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$4,899 MX$91.8K

-19.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$52.7 MX$988

-17.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$43.41 MX$813

-4.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$97.2 MX$1,821

-23.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$94.9 MX$1,778

-5.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$649 MX$12.2K

50.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$414 MX$7,750

-7.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$952 MX$17.8K

79.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$783 MX$14.7K

37.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$2,039 MX$38.2K

93.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$976 MX$18.3K

530.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.99

-4.50%

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 Cuautla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cuautla

$414 33.2% 8.6% $33

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cuautla

$302 24.2% 18.3% $47

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cuautla

$196 15.8% 3% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cuautla

$109 8.8% 20.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cuautla

$130 10.4% 16.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cuautla

$48 3.8% 29.1% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cuautla

$48 3.8% 5.5% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $649 in Cuautla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $61 in Cuautla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $302 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Cuautla

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

17:44 5:44 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

157,336

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cuautla 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Cuautla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,868 in Cuautla 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $649 in Cuautla. 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 $1,245 in Cuautla – Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 9% less than in Cuautla. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.