Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and El Medano Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and El Medano

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 1.1% more expensive than El Medano without rent, and 8.1% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 20.9% cheaper than El Medano without rent, and 21.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
El Medano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$17.27 โ‚ฌ14.91
-30.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$59 โ‚ฌ50.9
-27.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$10.37 โ‚ฌ8.95
0.96%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.04 โ‚ฌ1.76
76.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.75 โ‚ฌ1.51
-17.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$1.06 โ‚ฌ0.91
-16.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.93 โ‚ฌ2.53
5.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$3.17 โ‚ฌ2.73
44.48%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
El Medano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.22 โ‚ฌ1.05
13.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.77 โ‚ฌ1.53
4.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.52 โ‚ฌ1.31
3.29%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$3.16 โ‚ฌ2.73
-19.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$14.9 โ‚ฌ12.86
-42.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$8.41 โ‚ฌ7.26
1.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$14.52 โ‚ฌ12.54
-24.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.39 โ‚ฌ2.07
13.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.67 โ‚ฌ1.45
-9.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.6 โ‚ฌ1.38
17.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$2.61 โ‚ฌ2.25
-16.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.63 โ‚ฌ1.4
14.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.7 โ‚ฌ1.47
28.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.46 โ‚ฌ1.26
-26.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.71 โ‚ฌ0.61
53.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$5.22 โ‚ฌ4.51
-24.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$7.98 โ‚ฌ6.89
11.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.59 โ‚ฌ1.37
8.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.36 โ‚ฌ1.17
91.91%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
El Medano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$1.65 โ‚ฌ1.43
-68.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$17.39 โ‚ฌ15.01
52.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$4.72 โ‚ฌ4.08
-31.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.32 โ‚ฌ1.14
80.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$17.43 โ‚ฌ15.05
-82.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.3 โ‚ฌ1.12
0.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$28.2K โ‚ฌ24.4K
7.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$30K โ‚ฌ25.9K
-19.99%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
El Medano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$92.1 โ‚ฌ79.5
-8.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$21.57 โ‚ฌ18.62
2.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$30.95 โ‚ฌ26.72
-2.62%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
El Medano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$45.69 โ‚ฌ39.44
13.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$14.84 โ‚ฌ12.82
26.15%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$9.96 โ‚ฌ8.6
-49.10%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
El Medano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$346 โ‚ฌ299
-42.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$8,315 โ‚ฌ7,179
-35.87%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
El Medano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$83.8 โ‚ฌ72.3
-57.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$33.58 โ‚ฌ28.99
18.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$86.5 โ‚ฌ74.6
-8.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$69.7 โ‚ฌ60.2
26.73%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
El Medano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$1,036 โ‚ฌ895
-6.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$489 โ‚ฌ422
-3.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,855 โ‚ฌ1,601
-10.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$1,880 โ‚ฌ1,623
-36.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,930 โ‚ฌ2,529
5.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$2,220 โ‚ฌ1,917
239.15%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
El Medano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
3.5
226.29%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for El Medano: October 26, 2025

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