Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Luque

For one person, living is cheaper in Luque: $1,030 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Luque
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Luque Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Luque

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,030

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,030 in Luque, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Luque $1,030

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,556 in Luque, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Luque $1,556

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,082 in Luque, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Luque $2,082

Playa del Carmen costs about 17% more than Luque, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Luque are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Luque 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$4.22 ₲24.5K

158.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$34.94 ₲202.8K

24.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.30 ₲30.7K

122.26%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.50 ₲20.3K

8.86%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.09 ₲6,354

17.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.57 ₲3,291

36.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.09 ₲12.1K

51.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.80 ₲10.4K

173.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.31 ₲7,618

7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.47 ₲8,552

51.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.37 ₲7,949

3.65%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.14 ₲12.4K

17.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.84 ₲57.1K

-26.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.37 ₲31.2K

43.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.11 ₲58.7K

25.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.93 ₲17.0K

-5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.31 ₲7,600

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.23 ₲7,151

107.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.41 ₲14.0K

-12.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.41 ₲8,170

37.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.36 ₲7,867

38.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.91 ₲5,282

26.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.71 ₲4,126

66.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.39 ₲13.9K

79.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.99 ₲52.1K

10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.37 ₲7,969

15.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.78 ₲10.3K

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.67 ₲3,871

-17.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.45 ₲8,411

242.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.57 ₲9,138

112.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$10.37 ₲60.2K

-48.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.28 ₲7,454

12.50%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$17.7K ₲102.5M

17.00%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$30.4K ₲176.5M

-22.85%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$26.26 ₲152.4K

222.89%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$17.13 ₲99.4K

36.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$21.01 ₲121.9K

36.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$48.12 ₲279.2K

18.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$8.88 ₲51.5K

-42.12%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$188 ₲1.1M

10.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,851 ₲28.2M

-19.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$63.6 ₲369.1K

-31.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$56.7 ₲329.2K

-26.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$108 ₲624.0K

-30.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$70.9 ₲411.6K

25.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$442 ₲2.6M

121.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$426 ₲2.5M

-10.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,517 ₲8.8M

12.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$651 ₲3.8M

65.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,248 ₲7.2M

215.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$490 ₲2.8M

49.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.5

9.05%

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 Luque: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Luque

$426 41.3% 11.7% $45

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Luque

$216 20.9% 15.4% $39

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Luque

$112 10.9% 44.5% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Luque

$64 6.3% 52.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Luque

$134 13.1% 20.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Luque

$66 6.4% 2.2% $1.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Luque

$12 * 1.2% 76.2% $38

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 $442 in Luque. 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 50% 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 $35 in Luque. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $216 – making Luque the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇾 Luque

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

14:44 2:44 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

224,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5,803 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.72 USD). 1 EUR = 6,460 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.55 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Luque 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Luque

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 Luque: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,545 in Luque. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Luque, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $442 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,030 in Luque. That’s a gap of about 17%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $188 in Luque. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,030 in Luque, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Luque – 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 Luque. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.