Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Los Mochis

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Mochis: $1,143 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Los Mochis
Learn more

Los Mochis Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Los Mochis

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Los Mochis

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,143 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Los Mochis $1,143

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,794 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Los Mochis $1,794

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,445 in Los Mochis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Los Mochis $2,445

Playa del Carmen costs about 5% more than Los Mochis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Los Mochis are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Los Mochis 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$6.84 MX$127

55.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$32.90 MX$611

33.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$10.62 MX$197

11.02%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$3.24 MX$60.2

16.98%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$1.02 MX$18.99

27.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$1.05 MX$19.55

-20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$2.61 MX$48.54

20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$3.31 MX$61.5

48.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.71 MX$31.70

-17.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$2.22 MX$41.17

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$1.40 MX$26.05

5.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$2.68 MX$49.78

-6.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$8.60 MX$160

-15.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$8.03 MX$149

-1.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$11.00 MX$204

16.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.91 MX$54.1

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$1.44 MX$26.74

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$2.02 MX$37.50

23.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$1.98 MX$36.78

2.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$2.06 MX$38.21

-1.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$1.62 MX$30.02

17.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$1.59 MX$29.47

-28.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$0.99 MX$18.34

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$4.65 MX$86.4

-8.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$11.41 MX$212

-14.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

$1.60 MX$29.70

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$2.63 MX$48.82

4.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.62 MX$11.47

-17.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

$29.79 MX$553

-8.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$2.51 MX$46.69

89.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$1.92 MX$35.69

69.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$9.35 MX$174

-42.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$1.46 MX$27.09

4.79%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$23.9K MX$444.4K

-11.36%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$22.9K MX$425.9K

1.44%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$60.2 MX$1,117

38.76%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$22.36 MX$415

3.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$29.00 MX$539

-4.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$31.80 MX$591

77.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

$19.99 MX$371

41.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$5.09 MX$94.5

-1.77%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$215 MX$3,989

-3.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$4,401 MX$81.7K

18.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$53.4 MX$991

-18.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$40.35 MX$749

5.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$100 MX$1,859

-27.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$89.0 MX$1,653

-0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$593 MX$11.0K

67.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$405 MX$7,518

-5.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$1,007 MX$18.7K

66.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$774 MX$14.4K

39.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

$2,141 MX$39.8K

82.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

$1,198 MX$22.3K

412.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$651 MX$12.1K

27.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.31

1.24%

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 Los Mochis: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Los Mochis

$405 35.4% 5.9% $22

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Los Mochis

$259 22.7% 0.8% $1.9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Los Mochis

$153 13.4% 23.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Los Mochis

$112 9.8% 16.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Los Mochis

$127 11.1% 14.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Los Mochis

$42 3.7% 36.8% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Los Mochis

$44 3.9% 12% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $593 in Los Mochis. 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 28% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $33 in Los Mochis. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $259 in Los Mochis – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Los Mochis

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

298,009

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Los Mochis 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Los Mochis

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 Los Mochis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 5% more than Los Mochis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,714 in Los Mochis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Mochis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $593 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $33 in Los Mochis. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,143 in Los Mochis. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,143 in Los Mochis to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Los Mochis. 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.