Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Machala

For one person, living is cheaper in Machala: $656 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Machala
Learn more

Machala Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Machala

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $656 in Machala.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Machala $656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,046 in Machala.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Machala $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,435 in Machala.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Machala $1,435

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 83% more expensive than in Machala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Machala 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$2.81 $2.81

288.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$25.28 $25.28

71.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.21 $5.21

126.10%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$2.68 $2.68

42.16%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$0.86 $0.86

48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.72 $0.72

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$2.03 $2.03

56.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$3.69 $3.69

33.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.04 $1.04

35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.05 $1.05

111.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$0.91 $0.91

56.04%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$1.49 $1.49

69.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$3.23 $3.23

124.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.17 $4.17

84.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$4.72 $4.72

168.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$1.47 $1.47

89.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$0.59 $0.59

132.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$0.77 $0.77

231.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$0.58 $0.58

265.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$0.41 $0.41

373.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$0.48 $0.48

293.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$0.39 $0.39

194.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.99 $0.99

19.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$4.37 $4.37

-1.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.64 $7.64

30.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.57 $1.57

0.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.22 $2.22

20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.34 $0.34

61.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$22.09 $22.09

20.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$1.53 $1.53

224.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$1.73 $1.73

92.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$8.11 $8.11

-33.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.61 $0.61

136.07%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$17.7K $17.7K

16.66%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$22.0K $22.0K

6.62%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$52.2 $52.2

62.46%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$14.97 $14.97

56.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$26.58 $26.58

7.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$42.15 $42.15

35.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$29.74 $29.74

-2.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$4.89 $4.89

5.11%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$133 $133

55.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$5,675 $5,675

-30.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$64.5 $64.5

-32.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$39.94 $39.94

3.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$80.9 $80.9

-8.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$68.6 $68.6

30.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$190 $190

414.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$133 $133

185.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$353 $353

384.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$264 $264

306.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$444 $444

65.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

129.00%

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 Machala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Machala

$133 20.3% 65% $248

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Machala

$135 20.6% 46.9% $119

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Machala

$94 14.3% 53.5% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Machala

$94 14.3% 31.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Machala

$114 17.4% 2.3% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Machala

$52 7.9% 22.9% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Machala

$34 5.1% 33.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $190 in Machala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 66% 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 in Playa del Carmen vs $25 in Machala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $135 per month, with Machala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Machala

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

231,260

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Machala 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Machala

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 Machala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machala is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 66% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $190 in Machala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Machala – a meal for two runs $25 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $656 in Machala – Machala is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $656 in Machala versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Machala but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Machala 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 Machala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.