Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and El Paso

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,647 in El Paso, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in El Paso
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El Paso Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

El Paso

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in El Paso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,647 in El Paso.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
El Paso $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,444 in El Paso.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
El Paso $2,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,241 in El Paso.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
El Paso $3,241

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 27% less than in El Paso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, El Paso is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$16.29 €14.57

-34.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$62.6 €56.0

-30.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$11.16 €9.98

5.65%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.12 €1.90

78.77%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.72 €2.43

-52.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.69 €1.51

-50.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.23 €2.89

-2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.73 €3.33

32.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.21 €1.08

16.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.26 €1.12

74.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.59 €1.42

-7.55%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.30 €2.95

-24.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$14.11 €12.62

-48.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$7.67 €6.86

3.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$17.93 €16.03

-28.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.59 €2.32

11.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.06 €1.84

-33.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.08 €1.86

19.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$2.59 €2.32

-21.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.78 €1.59

13.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.95 €1.74

-2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.36 €1.21

-16.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.76 €0.68

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$7.12 €6.37

-40.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$5.09 €4.55

92.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.21 €1.08

31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.46 €2.20

11.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.56 €1.40

-67.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$30.89 €27.62

-11.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.99 €2.67

59.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.37 €1.23

137.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$28.43 €25.42

-81.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.81 €1.62

-15.47%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$39.0K €34.9K

-45.65%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$26.7K €23.9K

-12.98%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$168 €150

-50.32%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$19.10 €17.08

21.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$32.53 €29.09

-15.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$48.84 €43.67

15.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$14.00 €12.52

101.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$9.06 €8.10

-44.81%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$469 €419

-55.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$8,719 €7,797

-40.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$87.8 €78.5

-50.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$34.35 €30.72

23.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$89.2 €79.7

-18.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$97.6 €87.3

-9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$902 €807

10.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$674 €603

-43.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,497 €1,339

11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,022 €914

5.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$3,398 €3,039

15.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,979 €1,770

210.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.3

246.97%

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 El Paso: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

El Paso

$674 40.9% 76.3% $292

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

El Paso

$270 16.4% 5% $13

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

El Paso

$231 14% 15.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

El Paso

$220 13.3% 63.6% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

El Paso

$139 8.4% 25% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

El Paso

$67 4.1% 0.8% $0.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

El Paso

$47 2.9% 6.9% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $902 in El Paso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $63 in El Paso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $270 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇸 El Paso

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

20:16 8:16 PM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

700

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen El Paso 6,960 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 El Paso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,647 in El Paso, so Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $2,471 in El Paso to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $902 in El Paso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $63 in El Paso. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,647 in El Paso – Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,647 in El Paso, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in El Paso. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.