Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and La Merced Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and La Merced

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 53.5% more expensive than La Merced without rent, and 138.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 16.5% more expensive than La Merced without rent, and 148.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
La Merced
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$4.25 PEN 15.34
182.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$33.09 PEN 120
28.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$6.93 PEN 25.03
51.08%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.61 PEN 9.43
37.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.91 PEN 3.28
58.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.62 PEN 2.23
43.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.25 PEN 8.14
37.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$3.93 PEN 14.21
16.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
La Merced
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.47 PEN 5.29
-6.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.91 PEN 6.92
-3.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.28 PEN 4.62
22.66%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.27 PEN 8.2
12.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$6.74 PEN 24.36
27.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$5.44 PEN 19.64
56.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$8.2 PEN 29.64
33.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$0.95 PEN 3.44
186.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.4 PEN 1.45
277.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$0.27 PEN 0.98
596.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$0.66 PEN 2.4
231.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$0.29 PEN 1.06
544.83%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$0.43 PEN 1.57
409.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.55 PEN 1.99
94.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.88 PEN 3.16
23.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$5.51 PEN 19.9
-28.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$7.56 PEN 27.31
17.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.76 PEN 6.35
-2.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.94 PEN 10.62
-11.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
La Merced
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$3.25 PEN 11.75
-0.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$2.21 PEN 8
7.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$8.52 PEN 30.77
-63.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.31 PEN 4.74
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$19.6K PEN 70.9K
54.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$24.7K PEN 89.3K
-2.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
La Merced
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$57.3 PEN 207
46.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$12.5 PEN 45.17
77.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$23.99 PEN 86.7
25.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
La Merced
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$6.77 PEN 24.44
-25.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
La Merced
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$222 PEN 803
-9.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$7,911 PEN 28.6K
-32.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
La Merced
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$49.27 PEN 178
-27.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$36.42 PEN 132
9.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$90.1 PEN 326
-12.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$91 PEN 329
-2.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
La Merced
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
La Merced
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10.11
12.96%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for La Merced: October 28, 2025

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