Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,012 in Lima.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,589 in Lima.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,167 in Lima.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Lima $2,167

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 20% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$4.40 PEN 15.10

144.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$35.17 PEN 121

22.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.89 PEN 23.65

71.12%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.26 PEN 11.20

18.71%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.12 PEN 3.84

22.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.62 PEN 2.11

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.65 PEN 9.09

16.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.41 PEN 15.15

14.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-11.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-12.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.35 PEN 4.65

8.89%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-12.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-17.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.98 PEN 20.52

31.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.78 PEN 33.59

30.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.05 PEN 7.02

41.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.06 PEN 3.66

35.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.35 PEN 4.64

88.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.50 PEN 5.15

37.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.88 PEN 3.03

127.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.92 PEN 3.15

118.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.89 PEN 3.07

33.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.90 PEN 3.10

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-25.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$8.52 PEN 29.26

12.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-12.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-16.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$26.86 PEN 92.2

3.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.81 PEN 13.09

30.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$2.02 PEN 6.93

73.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-24.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-14.53%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-5.94%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-6.26%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$73.1 PEN 251

15.25%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$16.35 PEN 56.2

46.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$27.47 PEN 94.3

5.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$31.90 PEN 110

97.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$19.41 PEN 66.7

50.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-29.93%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$182 PEN 627

11.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-69.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$53.8 PEN 185

-18.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$34.32 PEN 118

25.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$82.8 PEN 284

-8.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$78.2 PEN 269

13.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$721 PEN 2,476

39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$343 PEN 1,179

8.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

40.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$651 PEN 2,235

69.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,414 PEN 8,292

63.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,357 PEN 4,660

354.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$648 PEN 2,226

16.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.94

28.08%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Lima

$343 33.9% 8.2% $31

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Lima

$226 22.3% 12.6% $33

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Lima

$124 12.3% 38.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 14.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 36.9% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 17.3% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lima 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Lima differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.