Comparación del coste de vida entre Playa del Carmen y El Medano Comparación del coste de vida entre Playa del Carmen y El Medano

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,287 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,372 in El Medano, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,184 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,639 in El Medano, rent included.

A family of three spends $3,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,907 in El Medano, rent included.

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper than El Medano, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Playa del Carmen sits 4% below the global median, while El Medano is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$209

$17.21 €14.73

-30.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$748

$58.7 €50.3

-27.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$185

$10.28 €8.80

3.02%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.4

$2.03 €1.74

78.33%

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

$1.47 MX$25.69

$1.82 €1.55

-19.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.51

$1.02 €0.87

-7.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$54.1

$2.92 €2.50

5.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$78.0

$3.19 €2.73

39.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$1.23 €1.05

16.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.97

$1.76 €1.50

6.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.50

$1.44 €1.23

13.19%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$46.26

$3.03 €2.60

-12.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$144

$15.22 €13.03

-46.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$145

$8.25 €7.07

0.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$194

$14.58 €12.48

-23.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.40

$2.43 €2.08

9.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.26

$1.69 €1.44

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.79

$1.65 €1.41

20.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.33

$2.64 €2.26

-21.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.29

$1.55 €1.33

15.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.09

$1.70 €1.45

28.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.84

$1.47 €1.26

-26.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.15

$0.65 €0.56

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.5

$5.14 €4.40

-22.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$179

$7.90 €6.77

29.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.22

$1.59 €1.36

8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.71

$1.40 €1.20

78.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.07

$1.72 €1.47

-69.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$472

$17.28 €14.79

56.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$55.0

$4.72 €4.04

-33.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$42.04

$1.28 €1.09

87.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$54.0

$17.66 €15.12

-82.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.28

$1.35 €1.15

-5.93%

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

$30.9K MX$540.4K

$27.8K €23.8K

10.92%

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

$23.3K MX$408.0K

$30.2K €25.8K

-22.75%

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

$82.0 MX$1,435

$91.3 €78.1

-10.14%

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

$22.45 MX$393

$21.56 €18.46

4.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$519

$31.04 €26.57

-4.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$908

$45.92 €39.31

12.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$327

$14.83 €12.69

25.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$87.0

$10.01 €8.57

-50.35%

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

$198 MX$3,462

$344 €295

-42.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$92.3K

$8,393 €7,185

-37.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$636

$83.7 €71.7

-56.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$701

$33.88 €29.01

18.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,398

$87.2 €74.6

-8.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,555

$68.6 €58.7

29.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.9K

$1,040 €890

-7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,133

$486 €416

-4.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.9K

$1,866 €1,598

-14.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.2K

$1,847 €1,581

-34.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

$3,598 €3,080

9.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

$2,405 €2,058

168.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

3.5

226.29%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Última actualización para El Medano: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,040 in El Medano. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $59.0 in El Medano. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $269 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Playa del Carmen vs El Medano: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Monthly costs with rent: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen, $1,372 in El Medano – roughly 7% apart. El Medano costs more across the board, with Eating Out showing the biggest gap.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,930 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,058 in El Medano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $198 per month in Playa del Carmen and $344 in El Medano. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in El Medano, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,287, than in El Medano at $1,372. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Medano 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 $1,287 in Playa del Carmen to $1,372 in El Medano. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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