Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Las Muesas

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,331 in Las Muesas, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Las Muesas despite lower rent and utilities.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Las Muesas, Puerto Rico
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Las Muesas
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,331
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Las Muesas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,331 in Las Muesas.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Las Muesas $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,101 in Las Muesas.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Las Muesas $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,871 in Las Muesas.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Las Muesas $2,871

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 10% less than in Las Muesas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Las Muesas 2% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Las Muesas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$201
$19.24 $19.24
-44.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$824
$84.4 $84.4
-48.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$222
$9.30 $9.30
26.77%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$71.2
$3.50 $3.50
8.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.41
$1.85 $1.85
-29.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.69
$1.54 $1.54
-46.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$59.2
$3.03 $3.03
3.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.9
$5.03 $5.03
-1.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Las Muesas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.51
$2.21 $2.21
-36.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.32
$3.58 $3.58
-38.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.71
$2.43 $2.43
-39.51%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.99
$7.89 $7.89
-68.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$137
$12.67 $12.67
-42.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$150
$9.87 $9.87
-19.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$242
$13.54 $13.54
-5.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.5
$4.96 $4.96
-41.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$26.03
$2.57 $2.57
-46.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.88
$4.76 $4.76
-47.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.20
$4.69 $4.69
-56.72%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$38.11
$3.84 $3.84
-47.40%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.82
$4.07 $4.07
-53.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.54
$3.53 $3.53
-67.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.32
$1.59 $1.59
-22.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.4
$11.95 $11.95
-64.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$185
$15.86 $15.86
-38.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.85
$3.06 $3.06
-48.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.7
$3.90 $3.90
-29.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Las Muesas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.69
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$515
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.6
$2.51 $2.51
89.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$61.1
$1.53 $1.53
112.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$42.29 $42.29
-87.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.76
$1.24 $1.24
23.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$399.2K
$34.9K $34.9K
-39.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$437.8K
$27.7K $27.7K
-16.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Las Muesas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,571
$326 $326
-74.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$436
$68.6 $68.6
-66.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$520
$71.0 $71.0
-61.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Las Muesas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,062
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$531
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$94.1
$10.68 $10.68
-53.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Las Muesas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,897
$811 $811
-74.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$98.4K
$11.7K $11.7K
-55.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Las Muesas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$818
$56.4 $56.4
-23.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$801
$61.9 $61.9
-31.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,369
$109 $109
-33.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,663
$116 $116
-23.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Las Muesas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.7K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,197
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.5K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$115.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Las Muesas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.7K
-
-
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 Las Muesas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Las Muesas
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Las Muesas
$417 62.2% $160
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Las Muesas
$263 31.1% $62
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Las Muesas
$465 247% $331
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Las Muesas
$155 39% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Las Muesas
$21 * 67.9% $45
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Las Muesas
$10 * 79.9% $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 $84 in Las Muesas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $417 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇵🇷 Las Muesas
🕒 Local time
06:06 6:06 AM
07:06 7:06 AM
1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
18,494
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Las Muesas 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Las Muesas

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 Las Muesas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Las Muesas?
Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,997 in Las Muesas 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.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Las Muesas?
Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Las Muesas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Las Muesas?
All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,331 in Las Muesas – Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Las Muesas?
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.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Las Muesas?
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.

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