Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cucuta

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,335 in Cucuta, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cucuta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
Learn more

Cucuta Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,335 in Cucuta.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Cucuta $1,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,003 in Cucuta.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Cucuta $2,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,670 in Cucuta.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Cucuta $2,670

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 9% less than in Cucuta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Cucuta 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$7.44 COP 23.6K

44.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$48.54 COP 153.9K

-11.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$9.16 COP 29.1K

28.71%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.91 COP 9,235

32.99%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.43 COP 4,544

-4.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.08 COP 3,420

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.09 COP 9,785

0.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.70 COP 11.7K

37.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.61 COP 5,112

-10.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.47 COP 7,844

-9.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.54 COP 4,893

-4.55%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.99 COP 9,488

-15.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.00 COP 28.5K

-18.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$8.58 COP 27.2K

-8.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$11.41 COP 36.2K

12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.54 COP 11.2K

-18.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.60 COP 5,061

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.07 COP 6,574

23.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.94 COP 6,139

6.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.28 COP 4,071

56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.31 COP 4,149

53.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.10 COP 3,497

8.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.02 COP 3,221

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.35 COP 13.8K

1.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$14.74 COP 46.7K

-34.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.65 COP 5,217

-3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.29 COP 7,271

22.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.19 COP 3,783

-52.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.52 COP 4,830

227.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$2.09 COP 6,624

67.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$9.90 COP 31.4K

-45.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.28 COP 4,055

14.84%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$28.7K COP 90.9M

-26.77%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$40.2K COP 127.6M

-40.59%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$126 COP 397.9K

-32.90%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$13.88 COP 44.0K

72.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$29.14 COP 92.4K

-0.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$33.45 COP 106.1K

88.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$6.95 COP 22.0K

-28.92%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$647 COP 2.1M

-68.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,396 COP 20.3M

-38.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$86.4 COP 273.8K

-49.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$49.97 COP 158.4K

-13.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$154 COP 489.8K

-50.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$102 COP 323.2K

-13.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$643 COP 2.0M

56.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$497 COP 1.6M

-24.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,017 COP 3.2M

67.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$792 COP 2.5M

39.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,980 COP 6.3M

99.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,498 COP 4.7M

311.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$565 COP 1.8M

33.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.58

-1.12%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cucuta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Cucuta

$497 37.2% 32.9% $123

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Cucuta

$274 20.5% 5.9% $15

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Cucuta

$155 11.6% 23.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Cucuta

$169 12.6% 22.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Cucuta

$177 13.2% 56.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Cucuta

$47 3.6% 35% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3% 68.2% $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 $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $643 in Cucuta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $49.00 in Cucuta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $274 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

777,106

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Cucuta 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cucuta

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 Cucuta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 34% 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $643 in Cucuta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $647 in Cucuta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $49.00 in Cucuta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,335 in Cucuta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cucuta. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Cucuta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.