Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Masaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $823 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
Learn more

Masaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $823 in Masaya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Masaya $823

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,283 in Masaya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Masaya $1,283

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,744 in Masaya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Masaya $1,744

Playa del Carmen costs about 46% more than Masaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Masaya are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Masaya 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$9.92 NIO 363

10.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$34.43 NIO 1,261

25.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.73 NIO 283

52.39%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.54 NIO 93.0

50.00%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.91 NIO 33.22

40.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.73 NIO 26.84

6.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.53 NIO 56.0

107.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.28 NIO 83.6

116.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.22 NIO 44.66

15.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.40 NIO 87.8

-7.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.80 NIO 65.8

-21.11%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.38 NIO 87.3

5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.43 NIO 419

-36.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.35 NIO 233

21.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$7.68 NIO 281

65.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.95 NIO 145

-29.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.57 NIO 21.03

140.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.84 NIO 67.3

38.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.51 NIO 92.0

-15.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$3.91 NIO 143

-50.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.24 NIO 82.0

-15.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.09 NIO 39.98

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.06 NIO 38.67

11.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.80 NIO 103

53.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$14.85 NIO 544

-33.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.46 NIO 53.5

8.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.18 NIO 79.8

22.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.60 NIO 58.7

210.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.59 NIO 58.2

109.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.85 NIO 251

-21.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.38 NIO 50.5

4.35%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$22.7K NIO 832.1K

-9.04%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

-11.10%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$154 NIO 5,654

-45.07%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$19.83 NIO 726

18.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$31.97 NIO 1,171

-10.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$9.06 NIO 332

-43.27%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$240 NIO 8,800

-14.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

-34.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$59.7 NIO 2,184

-27.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$64.7 NIO 2,369

-35.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$123 NIO 4,504

-39.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$147 NIO 5,379

-39.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.92

-3.94%

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 Masaya: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Masaya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Masaya

$260 31.6% 1.9% $4.9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Masaya

$152 18.5% 25% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Masaya

$206 25.1% 50.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Masaya

$177 21.6% 58.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Masaya

$18 * 2.2% 73.1% $49

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2% 81.1% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $34 in Masaya. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $260 in Masaya – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇮 Masaya

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

16:20 4:20 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

178,835

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, 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).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Masaya 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Masaya

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 Masaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 46%, 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 $1,234 in Masaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $34 in Masaya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $240 in Masaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $823 in Masaya to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.