Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Guaynabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,857 in Guaynabo, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Guaynabo
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Guaynabo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Guaynabo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,857 in Guaynabo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Guaynabo $1,857

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,934 in Guaynabo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Guaynabo $2,934

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,011 in Guaynabo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Guaynabo $4,011

Playa del Carmen is about 35% cheaper than Guaynabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Guaynabo is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$18.91 $18.91

-43.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$79.1 $79.1

-44.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.02 $9.02

30.71%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.80 $1.80

110.56%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.34 $1.34

-2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.22 $1.22

-31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.96 $1.96

60.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.97 $3.97

24.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.22 $2.22

-36.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.27 $3.27

-32.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.32 $2.32

-36.64%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$6.15 $6.15

-59.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$12.38 $12.38

-41.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$9.66 $9.66

-17.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.29 $13.29

-3.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$5.18 $5.18

-44.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.51 $2.51

-45.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.81 $4.81

-48.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.67 $4.67

-56.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$2.60 $2.60

-22.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.03 $2.03

-6.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.52 $1.52

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.61 $1.61

-22.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$11.17 $11.17

-61.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$15.69 $15.69

-37.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.83 $2.83

-43.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.91 $2.91

-5.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.47 $2.47

92.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.54 $1.54

111.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$42.38 $42.38

-87.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.02 $1.02

50.00%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$34.3K $34.3K

-38.20%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$27.4K $27.4K

-15.08%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$319 $319

-73.83%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$49.62 $49.62

-53.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$69.1 $69.1

-60.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.30 $10.30

-51.46%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$817 $817

-74.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$12.4K $12.4K

-57.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$57.3 $57.3

-24.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$50.1 $50.1

-15.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$99.1 $99.1

-26.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$114 $114

-22.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$892 $892

11.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$630 $630

-39.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,530 $2,530

-33.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,379 $1,379

-21.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$3,467 $3,467

-75.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.55

74.81%

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 Guaynabo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Guaynabo

$630 33.9% 64.8% $248

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Guaynabo

$386 20.8% 50% $129

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Guaynabo

$228 12.3% 13.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Guaynabo

$438 23.6% 226% $304

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Guaynabo

$144 7.8% 29.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Guaynabo

$21 * 1.1% 69% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Guaynabo

$10 * 0.6% 79.9% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $892 in Guaynabo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Guaynabo are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $79 in Guaynabo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $386 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Guaynabo

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

68,491

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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).

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

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Guaynabo 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Guaynabo

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 Guaynabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $1,857 in Guaynabo – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,786 in Guaynabo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guaynabo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $892 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $79 in Guaynabo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Guaynabo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Guaynabo at $1,857. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guaynabo 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,857 in Guaynabo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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