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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 31.2% more expensive than El Viejo without rent, and 76.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 27.8% more expensive than El Viejo without rent, and 96.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
El Viejo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$4.97 NIO 183
138.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$34.82 NIO 1,282
21.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$7.04 NIO 259
52.70%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.43 NIO 89.5
42.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.83 NIO 30.59
74.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.70 NIO 25.60
28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$1.33 NIO 49.12
129.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$1.95 NIO 71.8
126.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
El Viejo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.21 NIO 44.56
13.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$2.47 NIO 90.8
-24.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.81 NIO 66.6
-14.92%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$2.31 NIO 85.0
8.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$11.11 NIO 409
-22.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$6.75 NIO 249
27.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$8.24 NIO 303
33.74%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$3.87 NIO 143
-28.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$0.89 NIO 32.89
60.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.79 NIO 65.9
4.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$2.28 NIO 84.0
-4.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$4.04 NIO 149
-53.47%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$2.26 NIO 83.3
-0.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$1.01 NIO 37.23
5.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$1.01 NIO 37.26
5.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$2.59 NIO 95.3
60.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$14.58 NIO 537
-29.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.40 NIO 51.5
20.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.26 NIO 83.1
9.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
El Viejo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$1.49 NIO 54.8
116.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$6.69 NIO 247
-53.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.31 NIO 48.30
-3.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$22.6K NIO 833.3K
35.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$26.9K NIO 990.3K
-10.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
El Viejo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$98.1 NIO 3,613
-15.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$17.23 NIO 635
29.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$37.27 NIO 1,373
-19.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
El Viejo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$7.77 NIO 286
-35.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
El Viejo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$123 NIO 4,523
62.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$6,082 NIO 224.0K
-12.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
El Viejo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$77.2 NIO 2,843
-53.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$71.2 NIO 2,621
-44.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$132 NIO 4,878
-39.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$110 NIO 4,041
-19.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
El Viejo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
El Viejo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10.25
11.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for El Viejo: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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