Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Leon, Mexico

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Leon: $1,204 and $1,191 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,191 in Leon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Leon $1,191

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,930 in Leon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Leon $1,930

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,669 in Leon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Leon $2,669

Playa del Carmen and Leon have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$10.96 MX$205

-0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$53.8 MX$1,008

-19.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.66 MX$162

36.03%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$4.01 MX$75.2

-4.99%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.55 MX$29.03

-17.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$1.23 MX$22.97

-36.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.92 MX$54.7

8.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$3.86 MX$72.3

27.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.75 MX$32.74

-19.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$2.72 MX$50.9

-18.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.72 MX$32.18

-17.44%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$3.27 MX$61.3

-22.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$6.81 MX$128

6.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.52 MX$141

2.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$10.83 MX$203

17.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.37 MX$44.47

17.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.37 MX$25.60

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.78 MX$33.44

43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.44 MX$26.97

47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.97 MX$36.82

-1.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$2.07 MX$38.84

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.33 MX$24.98

-13.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.73 MX$13.65

61.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$6.71 MX$126

-35.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$13.26 MX$249

-24.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.33 MX$43.64

-32.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.58 MX$67.2

-25.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.78 MX$14.63

-29.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$37.94 MX$711

-29.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$2.72 MX$51.1

82.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$2.62 MX$49.11

27.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$14.76 MX$277

-63.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.40 MX$26.20

2.86%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$24.5K MX$459.8K

-15.78%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$23.3K MX$435.9K

0.87%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$21.19 MX$397

300.14%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$39.64 MX$743

-40.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$57.5 MX$1,078

-50.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$36.72 MX$688

55.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$33.64 MX$630

-14.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$6.48 MX$121

-20.68%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$178 MX$3,338

15.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$3,783 MX$70.9K

3.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$55.6 MX$1,042

-22.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$65.2 MX$1,222

-36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$97.5 MX$1,827

-23.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$116 MX$2,175

-23.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$525 MX$9,835

86.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$362 MX$6,782

5.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$771 MX$14.4K

121.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$678 MX$12.7K

58.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$528 MX$9,890

39.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.6

-1.29%

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 Leon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Leon

$362 30.4% 5% $19

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Leon

$259 21.7% 1.6% $4.2

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Leon

$195 16.4% 3.5% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Leon

$118 9.9% 13.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Leon

$150 12.6% 34.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Leon

$50 4.2% 26.2% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Leon

$57 4.8% 12.8% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $525 in Leon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 39% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $54 in Leon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $259 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Leon

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,579,803

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Leon 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,787 in Leon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $525 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $54 in Leon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,191 in Leon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Leon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.