Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Daule

For one person, living is cheaper in Daule: $841 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Daule
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Daule Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Daule

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $841 in Daule.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Daule $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,440 in Daule.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Daule $1,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,038 in Daule.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Daule $2,038

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 43% more expensive than in Daule, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Daule 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.17 $6.17

76.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$55.4 $55.4

-20.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.56 $7.56

55.56%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.41 $3.41

7.92%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.42 $1.42

-5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.09 $1.09

-24.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.57 $3.57

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$5.89 $5.89

-16.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.16 $1.16

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.55 $1.55

43.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.58 $1.58

-6.33%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.17 $2.17

14.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$6.56 $6.56

14.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.61 $5.61

41.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.74 $7.74

62.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.23 $2.23

24.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.18 $1.18

21.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.33 $1.33

96.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.14 $1.14

87.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.19 $1.19

69.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.03 $1.03

93.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.92 $0.92

23.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.07 $1.07

12.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$5.84 $5.84

-27.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.12 $10.12

-0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.58 $1.58

-2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.19 $3.19

-16.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.37 $0.37

43.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$17.84 $17.84

54.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.52 $1.52

222.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.48 $1.48

131.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$9.97 $9.97

-46.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.82 $0.82

76.83%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.3K $21.3K

-0.74%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$28.0K $28.0K

-17.81%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$28.28 $28.28

201.84%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$17.71 $17.71

32.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$28.02 $28.02

1.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$30.43 $30.43

104.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$16.43 $16.43

74.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.49 $6.49

-21.42%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$231 $231

-12.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$8,957 $8,957

-55.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$70.1 $70.1

-36.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$49.77 $49.77

-16.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$114 $114

-36.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$109 $109

-18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$304 $304

222.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$190 $190

96.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$713 $713

135.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$420 $420

161.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,203 $1,203

228.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$778 $778

689.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Daule: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Daule

$190 22.5% 49.1% $183

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Daule

$199 23.6% 23% $59

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Daule

$153 18.2% 23.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Daule

$74 8.8% 46.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Daule

$155 18.4% 38.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Daule

$43 5.2% 40.1% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Daule

$28 3.4% 45.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $304 in Daule. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $55.0 in Daule. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $199, with Daule cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Daule

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

173,684

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Daule 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Daule

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 Daule: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Daule is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,262 in Daule 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $304 in Daule. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Daule – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $841 in Daule – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $841 in Daule versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Daule but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Daule the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Daule gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.