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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 53.6% more expensive than El Nido without rent, and 54.6% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 23.2% more expensive than El Nido without rent, and 70.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
El Nido
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$5.22 โ‚ฑ290
129.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$30.22 โ‚ฑ1,682
40.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.24 โ‚ฑ236
146.93%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.94 โ‚ฑ220
-8.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.35 โ‚ฑ75
6.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.82 โ‚ฑ45.56
8.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.35 โ‚ฑ75.4
128.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.14 โ‚ฑ119
114.02%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
El Nido
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.85 โ‚ฑ103
-25.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.21 โ‚ฑ67.5
52.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.81 โ‚ฑ101
-13.26%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.51 โ‚ฑ140
1.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$8.16 โ‚ฑ454
5.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$3.47 โ‚ฑ193
146.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$8.22 โ‚ฑ458
33.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.87 โ‚ฑ160
-5.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.74 โ‚ฑ40.98
104.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.68 โ‚ฑ149
-29.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$2.09 โ‚ฑ116
4.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.31 โ‚ฑ129
-19.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.09 โ‚ฑ116
4.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.12 โ‚ฑ62.2
-4.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.73 โ‚ฑ40.48
49.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.89 โ‚ฑ161
37.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$6.22 โ‚ฑ346
42.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.2 โ‚ฑ66.8
43.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.04 โ‚ฑ114
27.94%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
El Nido
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.34 โ‚ฑ18.92
52.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.84 โ‚ฑ46.64
285.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.24 โ‚ฑ13.43
891.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$2.17 โ‚ฑ121
43.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.03 โ‚ฑ57.4
27.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$26.2K โ‚ฑ1.5M
15.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$20.1K โ‚ฑ1.1M
19.31%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
El Nido
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$114 โ‚ฑ6,344
-26.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$32.49 โ‚ฑ1,809
-31.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$32.26 โ‚ฑ1,796
-6.57%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
El Nido
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$33.76 โ‚ฑ1,880
53.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.8 โ‚ฑ323
-12.59%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
El Nido
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$155 โ‚ฑ8,610
29.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$4,265 โ‚ฑ237.5K
25.02%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
El Nido
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$46.04 โ‚ฑ2,563
-22.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$26.66 โ‚ฑ1,484
49.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$75.6 โ‚ฑ4,211
4.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$53.8 โ‚ฑ2,993
64.41%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
El Nido
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$270 โ‚ฑ15K
257.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$177 โ‚ฑ9,860
167.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$592 โ‚ฑ33K
178.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$402 โ‚ฑ22.4K
199.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,167 โ‚ฑ120.6K
42.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
El Nido
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$277 โ‚ฑ15.4K
186.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.67
71.21%

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 Nido: October 28, 2025

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