Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cumbaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Cumbaya: $889 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Cumbaya
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Cumbaya Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cumbaya

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $889 in Cumbaya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cumbaya $889

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,464 in Cumbaya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cumbaya $1,464

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,038 in Cumbaya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cumbaya $2,038

Playa del Carmen costs about 35% more than Cumbaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cumbaya are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cumbaya 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$5.37 $5.37

103.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$55.0 $55.0

-21.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.66 $7.66

53.79%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.33 $3.33

14.41%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.43 $1.43

-10.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.09 $1.09

-28.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.42 $3.42

-7.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$6.12 $6.12

-19.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.09 $1.09

29.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.54 $1.54

44.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.51 $1.51

-5.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.08 $2.08

21.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.51 $6.51

11.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.31 $5.31

45.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.50 $7.50

69.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.20 $2.20

26.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.18 $1.18

16.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.33 $1.33

91.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.12 $1.12

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.26 $1.26

53.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.03 $1.03

83.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.90 $0.90

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.04 $1.04

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$5.82 $5.82

-26.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.56 $8.56

16.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.57 $1.57

0.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$3.10 $3.10

-13.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.36 $0.36

52.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.51 $1.51

229.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.54 $1.54

116.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.93 $9.93

-46.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.83 $0.83

73.49%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$22.9K $22.9K

-9.63%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$30.2K $30.2K

-22.43%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$28.72 $28.72

195.23%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$17.72 $17.72

32.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$28.01 $28.01

2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$27.41 $27.41

108.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$14.61 $14.61

97.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$6.74 $6.74

-23.74%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$736 $736

-71.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$9,063 $9,063

-56.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$69.8 $69.8

-37.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$49.69 $49.69

-16.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$115 $115

-35.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$107 $107

-16.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$377 $377

159.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$274 $274

39.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$825 $825

107.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$498 $498

116.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.12

13.14%

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 Cumbaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cumbaya

$274 30.8% 28.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cumbaya

$191 21.5% 24.9% $64

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cumbaya

$145 16.3% 28.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cumbaya

$74 8.4% 45.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cumbaya

$153 17.2% 37.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cumbaya

$41 4.6% 39.3% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cumbaya

$11 * 1.2% 78.9% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $377 in Cumbaya. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $55 in Cumbaya. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $191 in Cumbaya – so Cumbaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Cumbaya

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cumbaya 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cumbaya

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 Cumbaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 35% more than Cumbaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,334 in Cumbaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cumbaya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $55 in Cumbaya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $889 in Cumbaya. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cumbaya costs $889 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.