Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mercedes

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,285 in Mercedes, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

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

Cost of Living Index in Mercedes
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Mercedes Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Mercedes

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,285 in Mercedes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Mercedes $1,285

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,968 in Mercedes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mercedes $1,968

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,650 in Mercedes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Mercedes $2,650

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper than Mercedes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mercedes are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Mercedes 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$15.66 UYU 630

-31.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$63.1 UYU 2,537

-30.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$14.04 UYU 565

-16.03%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$2.53 UYU 102

49.80%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$2.51 UYU 101

-48.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$0.88 UYU 35.19

-5.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$2.47 UYU 99.2

27.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.79 UYU 153

30.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.25 UYU 50.2

12.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$3.02 UYU 121

-27.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.43 UYU 57.5

2.80%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$2.80 UYU 112

-10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$14.35 UYU 577

-49.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$11.51 UYU 463

-30.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$7.40 UYU 298

73.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$2.01 UYU 81.0

44.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$2.42 UYU 97.3

-42.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$1.14 UYU 45.87

118.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$2.92 UYU 117

-30.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$1.91 UYU 77.0

5.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$2.17 UYU 87.4

-12.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$1.39 UYU 56.1

-17.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.71 UYU 68.8

-27.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$4.87 UYU 196

-12.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$8.29 UYU 334

18.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$2.33 UYU 93.8

-31.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$2.77 UYU 112

-0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$1.84 UYU 74.0

158.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$1.06 UYU 42.50

206.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$12.77 UYU 514

-57.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$2.24 UYU 90.0

-31.70%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-20.56%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$36.9K UYU 1.5M

-36.99%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$183 UYU 7,380

-54.50%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$21.33 UYU 858

8.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$43.14 UYU 1,735

-36.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$12.07 UYU 485

-58.57%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$632 UYU 25.4K

-67.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$11.2K UYU 450.8K

-53.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$99.0 UYU 3,981

-56.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$57.1 UYU 2,295

-25.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$120 UYU 4,834

-39.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$130 UYU 5,242

-32.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$582 UYU 23.4K

70.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$295 UYU 11.9K

29.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$627 UYU 25.2K

166.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$452 UYU 18.2K

138.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$3,050 UYU 122.7K

28.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$1,968 UYU 79.2K

211.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.65

102.65%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mercedes: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Mercedes

$295 23% 22.7% $87

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Mercedes

$296 23% 15% $39

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Mercedes

$231 18% 15.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Mercedes

$248 19.3% 84.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Mercedes

$183 14.2% 64.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Mercedes

$24 * 1.9% 63.7% $42

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mercedes

$7.1 * 0.6% 85.9% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $582 in Mercedes. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $63 in Mercedes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $296 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇾 Mercedes

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

16:12 4:12 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

41,975

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.17 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mercedes 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mercedes

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 Mercedes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mercedes costs about 7% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,928 in Mercedes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mercedes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $582 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $63 in Mercedes. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Mercedes, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,285 in Mercedes, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,285 in Mercedes. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.