Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Itapema Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Itapema

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 44.6% more expensive than Itapema without rent, and 63.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 50.6% more expensive than Itapema without rent, and 76.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Itapema
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$5.29 R$27.78
124.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$27.51 R$144
53.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$6.38 R$33.51
68.50%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$1.80 R$9.44
92.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$1.07 R$5.64
35.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.66 R$3.46
36.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$1.75 R$9.19
74.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$2.65 R$13.92
66.79%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Itapema
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.01 R$5.28
35.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$1.44 R$7.57
29.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.14 R$6.01
35.09%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$1.93 R$10.15
29.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$8.38 R$44.00
2.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$3.58 R$18.80
141.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$7.30 R$38.34
50.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$2.04 R$10.73
34.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.30 R$6.83
10.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.14 R$5.99
64.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.51 R$7.95
43.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.19 R$6.25
57.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.08 R$5.68
108.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.66 R$3.48
62.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.61 R$3.22
75.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$2.16 R$11.33
92.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$7.63 R$40.07
35.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.18 R$6.19
42.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.12 R$11.14
16.98%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Itapema
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.87 R$4.58
-36.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$38.31 R$201
-30.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$1.06 R$5.54
203.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.76 R$3.99
226.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$6.52 R$34.24
-52.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.04 R$5.48
21.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$20.9K R$109.8K
46.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$27.5K R$144.5K
-12.66%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Itapema
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$61.5 R$323
34.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$13.47 R$70.7
65.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$18.61 R$97.7
61.31%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Itapema
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$22.97 R$121
123.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$21.92 R$115
-16.56%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$6.44 R$33.79
-22.67%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Itapema
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$281 R$1,475
-28.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$6,592 R$34.6K
-19.53%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Itapema
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$47.90 R$251
-25.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$42.52 R$223
-6.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$76.2 R$400
5.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$62.1 R$326
42.29%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Itapema
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$311 R$1,631
212.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$213 R$1,117
126.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$588 R$3,088
171.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$428 R$2,248
176.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$1,462 R$7,676
177.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$1,044 R$5,478
524.97%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Itapema
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10.92
4.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Itapema: March 1, 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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