Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Meru Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Meru

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 44.7% more expensive than Meru without rent, and 163.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 58.9% more expensive than Meru without rent, and 165.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$208
$5.36 KES 693
121.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$742
$38.28 KES 4,947
10.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$189
$6.76 KES 874
59.02%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.1
$2.35 KES 303
47.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.56
$0.76 KES 98.3
90.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.88
$0.50 KES 65.2
80.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.7
$2.33 KES 302
30.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.7
$2.98 KES 385
48.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.09
$0.87 KES 112
57.47%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.93
$0.41 KES 52.6
356.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.15
$1.11 KES 144
38.74%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.03
$1.44 KES 186
73.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$151
$11.59 KES 1,498
-25.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$6.82 KES 881
26.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$194
$5.07 KES 656
117.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.36
$3.03 KES 392
-9.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.12
$0.73 KES 94.9
95.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.94
$0.79 KES 102
136.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.13
$0.79 KES 103
174.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.12
$1.03 KES 133
82.52%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.51
$0.99 KES 128
127.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.78
$0.24 KES 31.17
345.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.88
$0.45 KES 58.1
137.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.1
$3.06 KES 395
35.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$11.47 KES 1,482
-9.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.54
$2.22 KES 287
-24.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.69
$2.68 KES 346
-7.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.76
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$467
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.6
$1.51 KES 195
113.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.65
$1.50 KES 193
65.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.7
$2.86 KES 370
8.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.09
$1.03 KES 133
22.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$539.3K
$21.5K KES 2.8M
42.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$422.8K
$20.3K KES 2.6M
18.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,451
$33.85 KES 4,374
143.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$392
$16.52 KES 2,135
34.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$528
$39.40 KES 5,091
-23.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$905
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$322
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$87.7
$6.06 KES 783
-17.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,518
$204 KES 26.3K
-1.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.3K
$8,107 KES 1.0M
-34.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$628
$18.06 KES 2,334
97.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$696
$23.69 KES 3,062
66.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,417
$64.3 KES 8,304
25.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,554
$56.3 KES 7,271
56.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,482
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.1K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$114.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.3K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
14.84
-23.05%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Meru: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities