Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Las Piedras, Puerto Rico

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,308 in Las Piedras, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Las Piedras despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Las Piedras
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Las Piedras Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Las Piedras

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,308

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,308 in Las Piedras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Las Piedras $1,308

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,009 in Las Piedras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Las Piedras $2,009

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,710 in Las Piedras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Las Piedras $2,710

Playa del Carmen is about 8% cheaper than Las Piedras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Las Piedras are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Las Piedras 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$19.50 $19.50

-45.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$60.1 $60.1

-27.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.18 $9.18

28.43%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.47 $3.47

9.22%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.97 $0.97

34.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.03 $1.03

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.54 $1.54

104.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.22 $2.22

122.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.14 $2.14

-34.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.54 $3.54

-37.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.43 $2.43

-39.51%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$7.58 $7.58

-67.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$12.56 $12.56

-41.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$9.49 $9.49

-16.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.55 $13.55

-5.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$5.00 $5.00

-42.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.67 $2.67

-48.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.82 $4.82

-48.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.94 $4.94

-58.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.68 $3.68

-45.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.97 $3.97

-52.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$3.37 $3.37

-66.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.59 $1.59

-22.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$12.06 $12.06

-64.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$15.91 $15.91

-38.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$3.07 $3.07

-48.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.91 $3.91

-29.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.51 $2.51

89.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.51 $1.51

115.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$41.50 $41.50

-87.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.83 $0.83

84.34%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$35.0K $35.0K

-39.40%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$28.4K $28.4K

-18.08%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$324 $324

-74.19%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$70.2 $70.2

-66.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$70.5 $70.5

-60.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.42 $10.42

-52.02%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$825 $825

-74.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$12.1K $12.1K

-56.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$55.2 $55.2

-21.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$61.6 $61.6

-30.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$111 $111

-34.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$113 $113

-21.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Piedras: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Las Piedras

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Las Piedras

$414 31.7% 60.9% $157

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Las Piedras

$245 18.8% 22.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Las Piedras

$464 35.5% 246% $330

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Las Piedras

$153 11.7% 37.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Las Piedras

$21 * 1.6% 68.6% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Las Piedras

$10 * 0.8% 80.1% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $60 in Las Piedras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $414 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Las Piedras

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

20:57 8:57 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

38,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Las Piedras 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Las Piedras

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 Piedras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Las Piedras is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,962 in Las Piedras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $60 in Las Piedras. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Las Piedras, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,308 in Las Piedras, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,308 in Las Piedras. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.