Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Las Terrenas Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Las Terrenas

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 36.1% more expensive than Las Terrenas without rent, and 12.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 18.6% more expensive than Las Terrenas without rent, and 37.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$6.45 DOP 385
83.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$47.57 DOP 2,841
-11.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$7.27 DOP 434
47.87%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.11 DOP 126
64.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.99 DOP 59.2
46.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.85 DOP 50.7
5.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.60 DOP 155
17.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$5.14 DOP 307
-14.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.29 DOP 76.8
6.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$1.46 DOP 87.1
28.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.17 DOP 69.7
31.62%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$1.66 DOP 99.1
50.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$7.12 DOP 425
20.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$6.13 DOP 366
40.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$11.10 DOP 663
-0.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$2.54 DOP 151
8.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$0.88 DOP 52.3
62.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.22 DOP 73.0
53.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.17 DOP 70.2
85.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.17 DOP 69.7
60.68%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$2.33 DOP 139
-3.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.88 DOP 52.7
21.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.52 DOP 31.32
105.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$4.94 DOP 295
-15.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$11.38 DOP 680
-9.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$2.35 DOP 140
-28.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.43 DOP 145
2.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$1.72 DOP 103
-68.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$3.37 DOP 201
-4.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$2.21 DOP 132
12.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$5.81 DOP 347
-46.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.26 DOP 75.1
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$26.9K DOP 1.6M
13.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$31.2K DOP 1.9M
-22.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$77.0 DOP 4,599
7.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$22.49 DOP 1,343
-0.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$35.36 DOP 2,112
-15.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$21.06 DOP 1,258
144.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$16.88 DOP 1,008
8.35%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$6.71 DOP 401
-25.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$86.1 DOP 5,144
132.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$4,721 DOP 281.9K
12.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$43.37 DOP 2,590
-17.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$42.83 DOP 2,558
-7.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$70.2 DOP 4,189
14.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$84.7 DOP 5,060
4.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$754 DOP 45.0K
28.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$454 DOP 27.1K
6.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$1,425 DOP 85.1K
11.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$674 DOP 40.3K
75.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Las Terrenas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
12.9
-11.47%

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 Las Terrenas: 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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