Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Durango

For one person, living is cheaper in Durango: $1,063 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Durango
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Durango Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Durango

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,063

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,063 in Durango, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Durango $1,063

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,670 in Durango, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Durango $1,670

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,278 in Durango, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Durango $2,278

Playa del Carmen costs about 13% more than Durango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Durango are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Durango 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$7.11 MX$134

50.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$29.88 MX$562

46.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$10.34 MX$195

14.02%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.85 MX$34.83

104.86%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.14 MX$21.53

14.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.80 MX$15.10

3.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$1.38 MX$26.00

128.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.67 MX$50.3

84.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.24 MX$23.32

13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$2.46 MX$46.24

-10.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.19 MX$22.42

23.53%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.19 MX$41.24

14.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$7.49 MX$141

-2.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$8.26 MX$155

-3.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$9.01 MX$170

42.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.37 MX$44.57

22.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.51 MX$28.33

-8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.74 MX$32.81

43.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.16 MX$21.89

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.17 MX$22.06

72.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.26 MX$23.69

50.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.79 MX$14.88

44.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.13 MX$21.26

9.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$3.73 MX$70.2

14.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$13.25 MX$249

-25.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.70 MX$32.06

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.64 MX$49.69

4.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.68 MX$12.81

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$26.27 MX$494

4.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.15 MX$21.58

313.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.86 MX$35.05

74.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$9.31 MX$175

-42.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.37 MX$25.76

11.68%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$18.8K MX$353.5K

12.94%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$23.6K MX$445.1K

-1.63%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$56.6 MX$1,065

47.48%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$20.23 MX$381

14.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$26.61 MX$501

3.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$22.21 MX$418

154.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$9.35 MX$176

201.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$3.81 MX$71.6

31.23%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$176 MX$3,317

17.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$2,341 MX$44.1K

123.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$54.1 MX$1,018

-19.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$40.33 MX$759

5.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$97.9 MX$1,842

-25.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$89.3 MX$1,681

-1.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$610 MX$11.5K

63.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$395 MX$7,441

-3.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$1,023 MX$19.3K

63.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$779 MX$14.7K

38.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,930 MX$36.3K

102.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$988 MX$18.6K

521.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$529 MX$9,954

57.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.3

-6.91%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Durango: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Durango

$395 37.2% 3.4% $13

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Durango

$238 22.4% 7.5% $19

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Durango

$130 12.2% 35% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Durango

$103 9.7% 23% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Durango

$127 11.9% 14% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Durango

$30 2.8% 55.1% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Durango

$39 3.7% 21.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $610 in Durango. 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 57% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $30 in Durango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $238 – making Durango the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Durango

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

518,709

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Durango 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Durango

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 Durango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $1,063 in Durango – Durango comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,594 in Durango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durango, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $610 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $30 in Durango. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,063 in Durango, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Durango – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Durango. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.