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 79.9% more expensive than Meru without rent, and 162.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 25.8% more expensive than Meru without rent, and 165.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$5.37 KESΒ 694
123.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$38.81 KESΒ 5,016
9.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$6.98 KESΒ 902
50.00%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.38 KESΒ 307
51.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.72 KESΒ 92.5
100.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.5 KESΒ 65.2
78.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.26 KESΒ 292
36.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.98 KESΒ 385
53.69%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$0.86 KESΒ 112
60.47%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.38 KESΒ 48.62
386.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.1 KESΒ 142
42.73%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.39 KESΒ 179
83.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$11.72 KESΒ 1,514
-26.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$6.77 KESΒ 874
26.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$4.98 KESΒ 643
120.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.12 KESΒ 404
-12.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.75 KESΒ 96.5
101.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$0.81 KESΒ 104
132.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$0.75 KESΒ 97.4
192.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.07 KESΒ 138
74.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.03 KESΒ 133
112.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.24 KESΒ 31.17
345.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.45 KESΒ 57.6
142.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$3.13 KESΒ 404
26.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$11.68 KESΒ 1,510
-24.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.23 KESΒ 288
-22.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.72 KESΒ 352
-4.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.53 KESΒ 197
111.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.5 KESΒ 194
58.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$2.92 KESΒ 377
6.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.03 KESΒ 133
27.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$21.9K KESΒ 2.8M
38.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$19.9K KESΒ 2.6M
20.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$34.99 KESΒ 4,522
140.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$16.73 KESΒ 2,162
32.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$40.14 KESΒ 5,188
-24.91%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$6.33 KESΒ 818
-19.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$204 KESΒ 26.3K
-1.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$8,145 KESΒ 1.1M
-34.53%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$18.26 KESΒ 2,360
95.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$24.34 KESΒ 3,146
63.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$66.3 KESΒ 8,573
19.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$56.2 KESΒ 7,266
57.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Meru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
-
-
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Meru: October 28, 2025

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