Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Manizales

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Manizales: $1,204 and $1,181 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 Manizales
Learn more

Manizales Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Manizales

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,181 in Manizales, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Manizales $1,181

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,863 in Manizales, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Manizales $1,863

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,546 in Manizales, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Manizales $2,546

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

Both Playa del Carmen and Manizales are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Manizales 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.09 COP 22.9K

54.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$42.81 COP 138.2K

1.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.30 COP 33.3K

14.37%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.75 COP 5,652

117.71%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.34 COP 4,324

-4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.85 COP 2,739

-8.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.78 COP 5,747

78.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.58 COP 8,331

91.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.76 COP 2,447

85.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.46 COP 7,942

-9.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.75 COP 5,654

-18.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.47 COP 11.2K

-27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.35 COP 27.0K

-13.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$7.17 COP 23.1K

7.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$9.59 COP 31.0K

32.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.50 COP 11.3K

-20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.85 COP 5,985

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.02 COP 6,513

26.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.91 COP 6,165

10.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.49 COP 4,810

30.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.37 COP 4,412

37.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.30 COP 4,201

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.14 COP 3,687

3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.47 COP 14.4K

-3.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.78 COP 41.3K

-22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.47 COP 4,736

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-14.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.98 COP 3,169

-43.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$55.6 COP 179.4K

-52.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.59 COP 5,142

212.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.55 COP 5,007

114.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$9.38 COP 30.3K

-42.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.30 COP 4,210

10.77%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$35.1K COP 113.4M

-41.18%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$34.8K COP 112.5M

-32.65%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$125 COP 403.1K

-32.08%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$12.18 COP 39.3K

92.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$30.00 COP 96.9K

-4.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$32.62 COP 105.3K

74.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.71 COP 24.9K

-33.33%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$571 COP 1.8M

-63.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$7,683 COP 24.8M

-48.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$85.7 COP 276.8K

-49.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$49.01 COP 158.2K

-15.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$146 COP 470.6K

-49.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$108 COP 348.2K

-17.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$392 COP 1.3M

149.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$336 COP 1.1M

13.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,092 COP 3.5M

56.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$690 COP 2.2M

55.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$2,494 COP 8.1M

58.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,803 COP 5.8M

241.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,206 COP 3.9M

-39.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-4.58%

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 Manizales: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Manizales

$336 28.5% 11.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Manizales

$254 21.5% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Manizales

$131 11.1% 35% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Manizales

$167 14.2% 22% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Manizales

$175 14.8% 56.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Manizales

$48 4.1% 28.6% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Manizales

$69 5.8% 36.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $392 in Manizales. 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 64% higher in Manizales. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $43 in Manizales. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $254 in Manizales – so Manizales wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇴 Manizales

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

458,442

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Manizales 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Manizales

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 Manizales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,771 in Manizales. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manizales, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $571 in Manizales. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,181 in Manizales, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manizales costs $1,181 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.