Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mazatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,436 in Mazatlan, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mazatlan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
Learn more

Mazatlan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,436 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Mazatlan $1,436

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,041 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Mazatlan $2,041

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,645 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Mazatlan $2,645

Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper than Mazatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Mazatlan is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$10.96 MX$201

0.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$46.29 MX$850

-3.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$8.37 MX$154

42.41%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.40 MX$62.4

11.76%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.45 MX$26.53

-9.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.10 MX$20.12

-21.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$2.13 MX$39.04

50.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$2.83 MX$52.0

77.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.64 MX$30.14

-10.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.59 MX$47.48

-10.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.33 MX$24.44

8.27%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.74 MX$50.4

-10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$8.06 MX$148

-4.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$6.94 MX$127

13.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$7.67 MX$141

66.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.72 MX$49.89

7.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.70 MX$31.17

-16.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.62 MX$29.79

58.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$0.52 MX$9.52

311.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.63 MX$29.99

19.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.37 MX$25.12

41.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.60 MX$29.44

-28.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$4.20 MX$77.1

4.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$15.98 MX$293

-38.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$2.03 MX$37.24

-24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$3.09 MX$56.8

-11.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.69 MX$12.72

-24.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$41.84 MX$768

-34.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$3.71 MX$68.0

32.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$2.45 MX$45.00

43.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.53 MX$28.17

0.65%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$21.4K MX$393.0K

-0.77%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$24.8K MX$455.0K

-1.19%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$59.0 MX$1,084

41.62%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$46.93 MX$862

-48.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$43.53 MX$799

-32.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$45.05 MX$827

44.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$4.39 MX$80.7

15.95%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$88.4 MX$1,624

134.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$2,007 MX$36.9K

101.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$63.9 MX$1,173

-30.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$27.58 MX$506

52.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$112 MX$2,055

-32.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$84.1 MX$1,545

8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$788 MX$14.5K

25.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$619 MX$11.4K

-37.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,241 MX$22.8K

38.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$840 MX$15.4K

31.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$1,579 MX$29.0K

154.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,051 MX$19.3K

494.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$533 MX$9,785

42.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.6

-1.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mazatlan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Mazatlan

$619 43.4% 60.7% $234

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Mazatlan

$236 * 16.5% 9.5% $25

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Mazatlan

$180 12.6% 11.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Mazatlan

$150 10.5% 9.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Mazatlan

$129 9.1% 13.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Mazatlan

$54 3.8% 28.3% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Mazatlan

$61 4.2% 16.4% $8.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $788 in Mazatlan. 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 42% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $46.00 in Mazatlan. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $236 in Mazatlan – so Mazatlan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

441,975

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mazatlan 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mazatlan

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 Mazatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, $1,436 in Mazatlan – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,155 in Mazatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in Playa del Carmen and $88.4 in Mazatlan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Mazatlan at $1,436. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mazatlan 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 $1,215 in Playa del Carmen to $1,436 in Mazatlan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mazatlan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.