Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Latacunga

For one person, living is cheaper in Latacunga: $844 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Latacunga
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Latacunga Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Latacunga

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Latacunga

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $844 in Latacunga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Latacunga $844

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,324 in Latacunga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Latacunga $1,324

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,803 in Latacunga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Latacunga $1,803

Playa del Carmen costs about 43% more than Latacunga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Latacunga are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Latacunga 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.56 $2.56

326.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$27.74 $27.74

56.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.04 $9.04

30.31%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.83 $2.83

34.63%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.92 $0.92

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.48 $0.48

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.06 $3.06

3.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.29 $4.29

14.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.17 $1.17

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.99 $1.99

11.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.02 $1.02

39.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.76 $1.76

43.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$5.08 $5.08

42.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$5.02 $5.02

53.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$9.27 $9.27

36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.46 $1.46

90.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.14 $1.14

20.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$0.97 $0.97

162.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.90 $0.90

135.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.01 $1.01

92.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.98 $0.98

92.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.48 $0.48

139.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.00 $1.00

18.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$5.97 $5.97

-27.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.18 $10.18

-2.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.48 $1.48

6.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.22 $2.22

20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.34 $0.34

61.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.51 $1.51

229.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.79 $1.79

86.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$12.11 $12.11

-55.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.63 $0.63

128.57%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$22.6K $22.6K

-8.55%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$31.1K $31.1K

-24.62%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$34.48 $34.48

145.91%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$14.78 $14.78

58.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$25.63 $25.63

11.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$29.18 $29.18

95.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$16.01 $16.01

80.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$7.54 $7.54

-31.83%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$371 $371

-44.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$5,698 $5,698

-31.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$65.1 $65.1

-33.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$41.22 $41.22

0.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$123 $123

-39.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$91.5 $91.5

-2.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$427 $427

129.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$273 $273

39.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$804 $804

112.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$499 $499

115.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Latacunga: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Latacunga

$273 32.4% 28.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Latacunga

$185 21.9% 27.6% $70

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Latacunga

$111 13.2% 45.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Latacunga

$75 8.9% 45.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Latacunga

$144 17.1% 29.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Latacunga

$44 5.2% 34.2% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Latacunga

$12 * 1.4% 76.6% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $427 in Latacunga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $28 in Latacunga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $185 – making Latacunga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Latacunga

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

57,127

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Latacunga 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Latacunga

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 Latacunga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $844 in Latacunga – Latacunga comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,267 in Latacunga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Latacunga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $844 in Latacunga. That makes Latacunga about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $371 in Latacunga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Latacunga, where all-in costs run around $844, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Latacunga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $844 in Latacunga to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.