Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Manta

For one person, living is cheaper in Manta: $670 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Manta
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Manta Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Manta

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $670 in Manta.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Manta $670

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,152 in Manta.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Manta $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,634 in Manta.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Manta $1,634

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 80% more expensive than in Manta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Manta 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.04 $3.04

259.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$51.9 $51.9

-16.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.18 $5.18

127.41%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.81 $2.81

35.59%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.48 $0.48

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.42 $0.42

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.92 $2.92

8.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.86 $3.86

27.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.98 $0.98

43.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.00 $2.00

11.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.98 $0.98

44.90%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.11 $2.11

19.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$3.08 $3.08

135.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.07 $3.07

150.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$6.88 $6.88

84.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$0.97 $0.97

186.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.72 $0.72

90.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.73 $0.73

249.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.77 $0.77

175.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.49 $0.49

295.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.49 $0.49

285.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.65 $0.65

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.02 $1.02

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.02 $4.02

6.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$6.81 $6.81

46.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.01 $1.01

56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.22 $2.22

20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.50 $0.50

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.79 $1.79

177.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.77 $1.77

88.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.28 $9.28

-42.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.74 $0.74

94.59%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$22.7K $22.7K

-8.99%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$30.5K $30.5K

-23.04%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$93.6 $93.6

-9.36%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$11.20 $11.20

109.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$26.03 $26.03

10.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$19.90 $19.90

186.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$35.50 $35.50

-18.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$5.10 $5.10

0.78%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$370 $370

-44.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,708 $5,708

-31.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.4 $55.4

-21.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$39.90 $39.90

3.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$99.3 $99.3

-25.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$62.1 $62.1

43.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$306 $306

220.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$137 $137

177.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$916 $916

86.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$337 $337

218.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$478 $478

53.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.05

13.93%

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 Manta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Manta

$137 20.5% 63.9% $243

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Manta

$144 21.5% 43.6% $111

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Manta

$100 14.9% 50.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Manta

$131 19.5% 4.4% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Manta

$116 17.3% 3.4% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Manta

$30 4.5% 55.3% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Manta

$13 * 1.9% 75% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $306 in Manta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 54% 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 $52 in Manta. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $144, with Manta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Manta

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

217,553

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Manta 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Manta

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 Manta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manta is about 44% 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 54% 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 $306 in Manta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $370 in Manta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $52 in Manta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $670 in Manta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manta but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Manta 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.

It comes down to priorities – Manta wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.