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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 39.2% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 18.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 33.8% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 44.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$208
$12.02 MX$211
-1.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$742
$32.32 MX$569
30.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$189
$6.36 MX$112
69.03%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.1
$2.70 MX$47.46
28.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.56
$1.16 MX$20.40
25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.88
$0.97 MX$17.13
-7.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.7
$1.35 MX$23.67
125.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.7
$3.99 MX$70.1
10.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.09
$1.16 MX$20.36
18.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.93
$2.28 MX$40.19
-17.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.15
$1.48 MX$26.08
4.05%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.03
$2.60 MX$45.65
-3.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$151
$2.43 MX$42.79
254.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$5.63 MX$99.1
53.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$194
$6.27 MX$110
75.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.36
$1.60 MX$28.17
71.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.12
$1.33 MX$23.48
7.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.94
$1.35 MX$23.80
38.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.13
$1.61 MX$28.25
34.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.12
$1.30 MX$22.81
44.62%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.51
$1.34 MX$23.55
67.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.78
$1.05 MX$18.54
1.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.88
$0.77 MX$13.55
38.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.1
$3.94 MX$69.3
5.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$8.84 MX$155
16.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.54
$1.94 MX$34.15
-13.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.69
$3.21 MX$56.4
-22.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.76
$1.00 MX$17.64
-45.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$467
$33.75 MX$594
-21.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.6
$2.83 MX$49.70
13.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.65
$1.59 MX$28.04
55.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.7
$3.26 MX$57.4
-4.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.09
$1.26 MX$22.11
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$539.3K
$22.9K MX$403.3K
33.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$422.8K
$20.4K MX$358.8K
17.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,451
$55.6 MX$978
48.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$392
$22.20 MX$391
0.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$528
$31.55 MX$555
-4.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$905
$38.85 MX$683
32.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$322
$15.99 MX$281
14.38%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$87.7
$3.99 MX$70.1
24.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,518
$205 MX$3,610
-2.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.3K
$2,713 MX$47.7K
95.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$628
$26.48 MX$466
34.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$696
$32.15 MX$566
23.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,417
$75.0 MX$1,320
7.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,554
$69.6 MX$1,225
26.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$625 MX$11.0K
55.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,482
$401 MX$7,050
20.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.1K
$1,206 MX$21.2K
32.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.8K
$649 MX$11.4K
82.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.2K
$2,823 MX$49.7K
43.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$114.7K
$1,519 MX$26.7K
329.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.3K
$909 MX$16.0K
-16.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.5
-0.70%

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 Mexicali: 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

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