Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Isabela

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,258 in Isabela, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. The total is higher in Isabela despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,258 in Isabela.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Isabela $1,258

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,974 in Isabela.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Isabela $1,974

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,690 in Isabela.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Isabela $2,690

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 4% less than in Isabela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Isabela 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$19.01 $19.01

-43.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$81.5 $81.5

-46.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.95 $8.95

31.73%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.62 $3.62

4.70%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.91 $1.91

-31.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.51 $1.51

-45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.02 $3.02

4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$5.09 $5.09

-3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.97 $1.97

-28.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.81 $2.81

-21.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.21 $1.21

21.49%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.95 $2.95

-15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$10.82 $10.82

-32.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.46 $6.46

23.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.50 $13.50

-4.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.37 $4.37

-33.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.62 $2.62

-47.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.89 $4.89

-49.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.71 $4.71

-56.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.85 $3.85

-47.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$4.07 $4.07

-53.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$3.52 $3.52

-67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.64 $1.64

-24.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$11.76 $11.76

-63.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$15.43 $15.43

-36.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.99 $2.99

-46.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.96 $3.96

-30.56%

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

$2.46 $2.46

93.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.54 $1.54

111.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$41.55 $41.55

-87.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.88 $0.88

73.86%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$34.8K $34.8K

-39.00%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$28.1K $28.1K

-17.18%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$315 $315

-73.48%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$68.8 $68.8

-66.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$70.2 $70.2

-60.69%

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

$10.38 $10.38

-51.83%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$837 $837

-75.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$12.7K $12.7K

-58.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$56.7 $56.7

-23.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$61.7 $61.7

-31.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$110 $110

-33.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$115 $115

-22.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

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

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 Isabela: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Isabela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Isabela

$358 28.4% 38.9% $100

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Isabela

$261 20.8% 30.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Isabela

$454 36.1% 238% $320

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Isabela

$154 12.3% 38.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Isabela

$21 * 1.7% 68.8% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Isabela

$10 * 0.8% 79.8% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $81 in Isabela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $358 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Isabela

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

45,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Isabela 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Isabela

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 Isabela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Isabela. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,887 in Isabela 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.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $837 in Isabela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $81 in Isabela. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.