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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 13.8% more expensive than La Serena without rent, and 16.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 2.8% more expensive than La Serena without rent, and 20% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
La Serena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$7.97 CLP 7,255
48.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$51.3 CLP 46.7K
-17.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$8.63 CLP 7,861
24.57%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.99 CLP 2,720
16.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$1.16 CLP 1,056
25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.72 CLP 654
25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.10 CLP 1,914
45.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$4.13 CLP 3,760
7.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
La Serena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.28 CLP 1,169
7.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$2.57 CLP 2,338
-27.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.59 CLP 1,445
-3.14%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$3.89 CLP 3,545
-35.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$12.96 CLP 11.8K
-33.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$6.08 CLP 5,537
41.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$13.21 CLP 12.0K
-16.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$1.92 CLP 1,747
43.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.86 CLP 1,694
-23.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.39 CLP 1,265
34.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.53 CLP 1,395
41.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.19 CLP 1,083
57.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.32 CLP 1,206
70.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$1.08 CLP 979
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.89 CLP 812
20.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$5.25 CLP 4,782
-20.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$5.80 CLP 5,278
78.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.01 CLP 916
66.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.22 CLP 2,026
11.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
La Serena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$1.11 CLP 1,009
-50.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$37.05 CLP 33.7K
-28.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$0.78 CLP 713
312.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$2.14 CLP 1,947
15.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$13.17 CLP 12.0K
-76.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.50 CLP 1,366
-16.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$20.8K CLP 19.0M
47.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$13.1K CLP 11.9M
83.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
La Serena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$92.3 CLP 84.1K
-10.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$11.56 CLP 10.5K
92.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$22.59 CLP 20.6K
32.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
La Serena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$38.65 CLP 35.2K
33.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$21.22 CLP 19.3K
-13.81%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$8.77 CLP 7,987
-43.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
La Serena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$444 CLP 404.5K
-54.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
La Serena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$45.50 CLP 41.4K
-21.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$66.0 CLP 60.1K
-40.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$98.4 CLP 89.6K
-18.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$111 CLP 101.3K
-20.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
La Serena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$364 CLP 331.5K
166.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$291 CLP 264.9K
65.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$1,042 CLP 949.3K
53.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$688 CLP 626.4K
72.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$2,243 CLP 2.0M
80.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$1,447 CLP 1.3M
350.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
La Serena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$779 CLP 709.0K
-2.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.5
75.69%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for La Serena: February 28, 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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