Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mayaguez

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,294 in Mayaguez, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Mayaguez despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Mayaguez
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Mayaguez Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mayaguez

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,294 in Mayaguez.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mayaguez $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,001 in Mayaguez.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mayaguez $2,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,709 in Mayaguez.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mayaguez $2,709

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 7% less than in Mayaguez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Mayaguez 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$12.98 $12.98

-15.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$68.5 $68.5

-36.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.18 $9.18

28.32%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.51 $3.51

8.55%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.24 $1.24

3.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.08 $1.08

-27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.05 $3.05

3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.27 $4.27

15.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.19 $2.19

-35.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$3.58 $3.58

-37.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.34 $2.34

-39.32%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$7.46 $7.46

-66.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$12.64 $12.64

-42.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.47 $9.47

-18.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.38 $13.38

-5.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.92 $4.92

-43.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.67 $2.67

-48.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$4.83 $4.83

-47.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.74 $4.74

-55.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$3.68 $3.68

-47.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$4.03 $4.03

-53.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$3.52 $3.52

-67.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.64 $1.64

-28.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$12.03 $12.03

-64.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$15.79 $15.79

-36.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.97 $2.97

-46.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$4.06 $4.06

-34.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.57 $2.57

93.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.54 $1.54

116.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$42.63 $42.63

-87.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.96 $0.96

50.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$34.1K $34.1K

-39.42%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$27.4K $27.4K

-14.28%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$323 $323

-73.72%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$68.6 $68.6

-65.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$69.5 $69.5

-58.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$27.80 $27.80

105.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$10.48 $10.48

-50.95%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$837 $837

-75.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$12.7K $12.7K

-68.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$56.1 $56.1

-22.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$61.0 $61.0

-32.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$111 $111

-32.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$116 $116

-22.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.55

74.81%

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 Mayaguez: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mayaguez

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mayaguez

$413 31.9% 62.2% $159

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mayaguez

$207 16% 2.1% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mayaguez

$461 35.6% 237% $324

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mayaguez

$155 11.9% 38.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mayaguez

$49 3.8% 27.6% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mayaguez

$10 * 0.8% 79.7% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $68 in Mayaguez for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $413 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Mayaguez

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

57,566

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mayaguez 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mayaguez

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 Mayaguez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,941 in Mayaguez to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $837 in Mayaguez. 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 $68 in Mayaguez. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.