Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,103 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Isla Mujeres

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,103 in Isla Mujeres.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Isla Mujeres $1,103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,760 in Isla Mujeres.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Isla Mujeres $1,760

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,416 in Isla Mujeres.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Isla Mujeres $2,416

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 9% more expensive than in Isla Mujeres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Isla Mujeres 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$10.59 MX$196

2.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$39.10 MX$722

13.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.70 MX$142

52.73%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.26 MX$60.2

12.88%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.24 MX$22.93

8.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.98 MX$18.04

-16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.17 MX$40.08

41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.00 MX$73.9

23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.44 MX$26.58

2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.52 MX$46.64

-11.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.56 MX$28.75

-5.13%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.33 MX$43.08

6.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$7.97 MX$147

-5.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.02 MX$148

-0.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.38 MX$192

21.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.60 MX$48.09

6.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.41 MX$26.02

1.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.71 MX$31.68

53.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.70 MX$31.45

25.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.90 MX$35.19

6.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.93 MX$35.63

3.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.26 MX$23.35

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.98 MX$18.14

22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.21 MX$77.7

1.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$11.00 MX$203

-8.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.60 MX$29.54

-3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.77 MX$51.1

-3.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.62 MX$11.45

-14.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.54 MX$46.85

92.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.59 MX$29.42

115.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$8.47 MX$157

-36.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.26 MX$23.31

15.08%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.4K MX$396.2K

-1.31%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$22.1K MX$408.2K

4.19%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$56.3 MX$1,041

51.54%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$22.23 MX$411

5.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$27.99 MX$517

1.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$36.29 MX$671

71.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$16.00 MX$296

79.25%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$4.64 MX$85.8

9.91%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$210 MX$3,888

-4.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$3,607 MX$66.6K

9.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$52.0 MX$961

-14.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$40.19 MX$743

2.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$90.8 MX$1,678

-19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$80.7 MX$1,492

11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$505 MX$9,338

93.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$395 MX$7,304

-5.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$919 MX$17.0K

82.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$770 MX$14.2K

42.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,779 MX$32.9K

121.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,176 MX$21.7K

421.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.48

-0.26%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Isla Mujeres: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Isla Mujeres

$395 35.9% 6% $23

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Isla Mujeres

$249 22.6% 3.6% $9.3

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Isla Mujeres

$175 15.8% 12.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Isla Mujeres

$107 9.7% 22.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Isla Mujeres

$119 10.8% 6.3% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Isla Mujeres

$46 4.1% 37.1% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Isla Mujeres

$13 * 1.2% 74.9% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $505 in Isla Mujeres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $39.00 in Isla Mujeres for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $249 per month, with Isla Mujeres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

13,174

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Isla Mujeres 76 km

From you

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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 Isla Mujeres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $1,103 including rent). Isla Mujeres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,654 in Isla Mujeres 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $505 in Isla Mujeres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,103 in Isla Mujeres – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,103 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Isla Mujeres but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Isla Mujeres 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.