Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Guayaquil

For one person, living is cheaper in Guayaquil: $1,136 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Guayaquil
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Guayaquil Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Guayaquil

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Guayaquil

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,136 in Guayaquil, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Guayaquil $1,136

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,775 in Guayaquil, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Guayaquil $1,775

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,413 in Guayaquil, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Guayaquil $2,413

Playa del Carmen costs about 7% more than Guayaquil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Guayaquil are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Guayaquil 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.94 $3.94

173.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$52.6 $52.6

-18.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$9.15 $9.15

28.85%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.82 $2.82

37.23%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.91 $0.91

50.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.74 $0.74

13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.05 $3.05

1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.15 $4.15

22.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.16 $1.16

24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.98 $1.98

12.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.47 $1.47

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.07 $2.07

22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$7.02 $7.02

3.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.18 $5.18

51.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.26 $9.26

38.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.48 $1.48

95.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.14 $1.14

26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$0.98 $0.98

160.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$0.94 $0.94

119.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.22 $1.22

63.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.98 $0.98

105.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.88 $0.88

35.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.94 $0.94

34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$5.91 $5.91

-25.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$12.19 $12.19

-21.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.55 $1.55

2.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.19 $2.19

28.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.36 $0.36

58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$19.61 $19.61

41.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.77 $2.77

79.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.80 $1.80

94.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$12.16 $12.16

-55.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.88 $0.88

67.05%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$21.1K $21.1K

-0.69%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$31.3K $31.3K

-23.64%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$131 $131

-35.62%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$14.76 $14.76

62.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$26.25 $26.25

10.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$46.30 $46.30

36.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$26.54 $26.54

9.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.29 $7.29

-32.24%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$378 $378

-46.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$5,590 $5,590

-29.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$66.2 $66.2

-34.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$41.10 $41.10

4.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$124 $124

-38.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$93.8 $93.8

-5.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$476 $476

111.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$401 $401

-6.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$800 $800

113.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$740 $740

49.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,275 $2,275

73.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,451 $1,451

325.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$612 $612

23.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.05

13.93%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Guayaquil: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Guayaquil

$401 35.3% 7.2% $27

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Guayaquil

$200 17.6% 22.6% $58

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Guayaquil

$123 10.8% 39.2% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Guayaquil

$172 15.1% 25.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Guayaquil

$146 12.9% 29.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Guayaquil

$61 5.4% 16.4% $12

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Guayaquil

$33 2.9% 37.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $476 in Guayaquil. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 23% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $53.0 in Guayaquil. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $200 in Guayaquil – so Guayaquil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Guayaquil

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,500,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Guayaquil 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Guayaquil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,704 in Guayaquil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $378 in Guayaquil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Playa del Carmen, 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 Guayaquil, where all-in costs run around $1,136, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Guayaquil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guayaquil – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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