Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Merida, Mexico

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,307 in Merida, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Merida
Learn more

Merida Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,307 in Merida, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Merida $1,307

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,126 in Merida, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Merida $2,126

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,946 in Merida, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Merida $2,946

Playa del Carmen is about 8% cheaper than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Merida are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Merida 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$13.28 MX$248

-17.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$54.9 MX$1,023

-20.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$8.13 MX$152

44.90%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.90 MX$72.8

-2.31%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.06 MX$19.78

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.15 MX$21.48

-32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.89 MX$53.9

9.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.64 MX$67.9

35.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.59 MX$29.67

-11.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.57 MX$47.99

-13.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.69 MX$31.47

-15.98%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.84 MX$34.30

36.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.99 MX$186

-27.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.49 MX$140

2.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$12.02 MX$224

5.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.67 MX$49.73

4.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.36 MX$25.31

0.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.14 MX$39.90

19.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.97 MX$36.66

7.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.17 MX$40.50

-10.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.75 MX$32.69

8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.46 MX$27.23

-21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.15 MX$21.39

2.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.28 MX$79.9

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.73 MX$200

-7.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.47 MX$27.44

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.45 MX$45.61

8.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.62 MX$11.59

-11.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$32.93 MX$614

-19.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.73 MX$50.8

82.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$3.70 MX$69.0

-10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$8.79 MX$164

-39.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.49 MX$27.74

-3.36%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$22.5K MX$420.1K

-8.31%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$22.9K MX$427.4K

2.33%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$112 MX$2,092

-24.46%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$21.28 MX$397

10.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$34.17 MX$637

-16.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$28.29 MX$527

101.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$11.51 MX$214

151.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.41 MX$120

-19.81%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$259 MX$4,835

-20.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$3,584 MX$66.8K

9.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$54.3 MX$1,011

-20.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$52.1 MX$970

-20.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$99.3 MX$1,851

-25.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$84.0 MX$1,567

6.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$611 MX$11.4K

60.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$441 MX$8,214

-13.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,220 MX$22.7K

40.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$958 MX$17.9K

12.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,244 MX$41.8K

75.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,205 MX$22.5K

410.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$579 MX$10.8K

26.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.64

-1.63%

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 Merida: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Merida

$441 33.7% 15.7% $60

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Merida

$263 20.1% 3% $7.7

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Merida

$208 15.9% 2.8% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Merida

$168 12.8% 22.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Merida

$130 10% 16.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Merida

$41 3.2% 38.9% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Merida

$57 4.3% 12.3% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $611 in Merida. 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 27% 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $55 in Merida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $263 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Merida

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

14:48 2:48 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

975,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Playa del Carmen Merida 270 km

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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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Merida is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,961 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $259 in Merida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Merida, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,307 in Merida, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,307 in Merida. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.