Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ecatepec

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $941 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $941 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ecatepec $941

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,634 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ecatepec $1,634

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,327 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ecatepec $2,327

Playa del Carmen costs about 28% more than Ecatepec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ecatepec are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ecatepec 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$10.59 MX$199

3.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$48.51 MX$909

-10.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.63 MX$180

22.33%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$3.48 MX$65.2

9.48%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.57 MX$29.34

-18.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$1.02 MX$19.14

-23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$3.19 MX$59.8

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$5.44 MX$102

-9.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.78 MX$33.35

-20.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$2.70 MX$50.5

-17.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.97 MX$36.90

-27.92%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.70 MX$50.5

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.95 MX$168

-18.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.01 MX$169

-14.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.19 MX$247

-3.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$3.18 MX$59.7

-12.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.59 MX$29.76

-13.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.97 MX$37.01

29.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.90 MX$35.62

11.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.81 MX$33.92

7.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.72 MX$32.21

9.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.45 MX$27.24

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.22 MX$22.89

-3.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$4.52 MX$84.8

-4.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$16.00 MX$300

-37.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.94 MX$36.40

-18.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.84 MX$71.9

-30.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.68 MX$12.70

-19.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$30.56 MX$573

-12.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$1.92 MX$36.05

158.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$0.49 MX$9.15

579.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$5.51 MX$103

-2.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.43 MX$26.80

0.70%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$21.3K MX$399.4K

-3.05%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$23.2K MX$434.2K

1.26%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$56.3 MX$1,054

50.68%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$26.84 MX$503

-12.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$23.91 MX$448

19.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$25.75 MX$483

121.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$10.64 MX$199

171.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$6.48 MX$121

-20.68%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$265 MX$4,969

-22.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$4,979 MX$93.3K

-21.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$58.2 MX$1,090

-25.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$44.37 MX$831

-6.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$99.2 MX$1,859

-25.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$96.3 MX$1,804

-7.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$239 MX$4,479

309.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$134 MX$2,514

183.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$665 MX$12.5K

156.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$430 MX$8,060

149.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$768 MX$14.4K

413.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$751 MX$14.1K

720.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$548 MX$10.3K

34.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.35

0.88%

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 Ecatepec: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ecatepec

$134 14.3% 64.8% $247

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ecatepec

$296 31.5% 16.4% $42

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ecatepec

$193 20.5% 4.8% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ecatepec

$107 11.4% 21.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ecatepec

$134 14.3% 20.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ecatepec

$39 4.1% 42.5% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ecatepec

$38 4% 25.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $239 in Ecatepec. 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 34% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $49 in Ecatepec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $296 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,645,352

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ecatepec 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ecatepec

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 Ecatepec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $941 in Ecatepec – Ecatepec comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,411 in Ecatepec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ecatepec, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $49 in Ecatepec. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $941 in Ecatepec. That makes Ecatepec about 22% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $941, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $941 in Ecatepec to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ecatepec. 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.