Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Curepe

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,361 in Curepe, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Curepe
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Curepe Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Curepe

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,361 in Curepe, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Curepe $1,361

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,374 in Curepe, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Curepe $2,374

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,387 in Curepe, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Curepe $3,387

Playa del Carmen is about 11% cheaper than Curepe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$10.53 TTD 71.1

3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$89.9 TTD 607

-51.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$8.69 TTD 58.7

35.56%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.78 TTD 25.55

0.79%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.03 TTD 6.97

24.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.75 TTD 5.07

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.23 TTD 15.07

42.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.73 TTD 25.19

32.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.45 TTD 16.55

-42.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$2.47 TTD 16.69

-10.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.87 TTD 19.38

-50.52%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$4.45 TTD 30.06

-43.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.60 TTD 44.56

10.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.04 TTD 67.8

-23.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.74 TTD 79.2

8.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$5.38 TTD 36.32

-48.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$3.09 TTD 20.86

-55.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.73 TTD 25.21

-31.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$4.35 TTD 29.38

-51.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.12 TTD 14.31

-8.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.87 TTD 12.65

1.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.83 TTD 12.37

-37.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.35 TTD 9.11

-12.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$6.04 TTD 40.78

-28.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$19.30 TTD 130

-48.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.28 TTD 15.42

-30.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.94 TTD 19.84

-9.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.58 TTD 3.90

-5.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.01 TTD 6.83

392.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.23 TTD 8.30

170.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$14.46 TTD 97.6

-62.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.17 TTD 7.92

23.08%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$37.1K TTD 250.5K

-44.30%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$41.8K TTD 281.9K

-43.82%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$90.1 TTD 608

-5.87%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$52.5 TTD 355

-55.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$56.9 TTD 384

-49.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$8.91 TTD 60.2

-42.31%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$395 TTD 2,665

-47.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.9K TTD 73.3K

-63.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.4 TTD 374

-21.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$51.4 TTD 347

-19.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$145 TTD 980

-48.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$102 TTD 691

-12.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$747 TTD 5,039

31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$438 TTD 2,954

-12.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,457 TTD 9,838

17.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,096 TTD 7,395

-1.86%

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

$520 TTD 3,508

41.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.75

99.13%

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 Curepe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Curepe

$438 32.2% 14.9% $57

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Curepe

$355 26.1% 39.5% $101

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Curepe

$181 13.3% 10.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Curepe

$200 14.7% 45.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Curepe

$159 11.7% 42.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Curepe

$18 * 1.3% 73.5% $49

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Curepe

$9.5 * 0.7% 81.2% $41

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 $747 in Curepe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 41% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $90 in Curepe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $355 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇹 Curepe

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

02:28 2:28 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,758

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 TTD = 0.148 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.75 TTD (1 TTD = 0.148 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Curepe 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Curepe

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 Curepe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,361 in Curepe – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,041 in Curepe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Curepe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $747 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $90 in Curepe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Curepe, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,361 in Curepe, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,361 in Curepe. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.