Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Duitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,392 in Duitama, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Duitama, Colombia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Duitama
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,392
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,392 in Duitama.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Duitama $1,392

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,054 in Duitama.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Duitama $2,054

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,716 in Duitama.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Duitama $2,716

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 13% less than in Duitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Duitama is 2% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Duitama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$203
$8.08 COP 26.1K
35.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$805
$42.17 COP 136.1K
2.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$219
$10.13 COP 32.7K
16.29%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$70.7
$2.57 COP 8,281
48.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.81
$1.28 COP 4,129
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.54
$0.90 COP 2,917
-13.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$58.8
$2.01 COP 6,499
57.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.7
$3.99 COP 12.9K
23.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Duitama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.12
$1.66 COP 5,356
-15.06%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.17
$2.54 COP 8,207
-12.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.32
$1.71 COP 5,523
-16.96%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$46.85
$3.46 COP 11.2K
-27.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$8.39 COP 27.1K
-13.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$7.24 COP 23.4K
6.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$236
$9.85 COP 31.8K
28.83%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.7
$3.55 COP 11.5K
-21.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.41
$1.84 COP 5,943
-25.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.37
$1.97 COP 6,358
29.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.43
$1.82 COP 5,876
16.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.00
$1.49 COP 4,817
30.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.02
$1.39 COP 4,474
35.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.29
$1.31 COP 4,216
-12.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.89
$1.20 COP 3,873
-1.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$79.8
$4.52 COP 14.6K
-4.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$12.71 COP 41.0K
-21.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.41
$1.51 COP 4,880
4.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.60
$3.11 COP 10.0K
-14.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Duitama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.28
$1.13 COP 3,644
-51.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$494
$61.2 COP 197.5K
-56.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.3
$2.27 COP 7,333
118.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$61.9
$2.42 COP 7,817
37.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.5
$9.54 COP 30.8K
-43.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.82
$1.30 COP 4,210
10.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$383.8K
$34.8K COP 112.4M
-40.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$435.8K
$34.9K COP 112.6M
-32.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Duitama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,575
$127 COP 409.1K
-33.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$435
$16.25 COP 52.4K
44.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$532
$30.40 COP 98.1K
-5.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Duitama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,059
$37.97 COP 122.5K
50.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$537
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.4
$8.03 COP 25.9K
-35.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Duitama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,836
$557 COP 1.8M
-62.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$72.9K
$7,502 COP 24.2M
-47.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Duitama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$805
$83.1 COP 268.2K
-47.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$770
$47.39 COP 152.9K
-12.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,378
$146 COP 472.4K
-49.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,657
$106 COP 341.2K
-15.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Duitama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.2K
$671 COP 2.2M
45.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,072
$494 COP 1.6M
-22.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.7K
$1,548 COP 5.0M
10.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$751 COP 2.4M
43.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.2K
$2,466 COP 8.0M
59.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.4K
$1,766 COP 5.7M
248.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Duitama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
12.81
-10.62%

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 Duitama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Duitama
$494 29.7% $113
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Duitama
$266 4.2% $11
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Duitama
$153 24.6% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Duitama
$173 26.7% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Duitama
$172 54.1% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Duitama
$54 19.7% $13
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Duitama
$80 58.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $671 in Duitama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $42 in Duitama. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $266, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇨🇴 Duitama
🕒 Local time
01:35 1:35 AM
01:35 1:35 AM
Same time as Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
126,670
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Duitama 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Duitama

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 Duitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Duitama?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Duitama. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Duitama?
You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $2,088 in Duitama 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Duitama?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $671 in Duitama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Duitama?
Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Duitama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Duitama?
All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,392 in Duitama – Playa del Carmen is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Duitama?
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.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?