Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mexicali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $927 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
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Mexicali Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $927 in Mexicali, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mexicali $927

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,485 in Mexicali, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mexicali $1,485

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,042 in Mexicali, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mexicali $2,042

Playa del Carmen costs about 30% more than Mexicali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mexicali are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Mexicali 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$12.33 MX$230

-11.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$33.01 MX$615

31.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$6.49 MX$121

81.51%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.33 MX$62.0

14.41%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.37 MX$25.60

-6.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.07 MX$19.86

-27.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.21 MX$59.9

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.03 MX$75.0

22.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.20 MX$22.28

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$2.32 MX$43.16

-4.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.44 MX$26.77

-1.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.67 MX$49.80

-5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$2.40 MX$44.66

202.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.04 MX$113

27.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$6.60 MX$123

92.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.61 MX$29.94

72.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.31 MX$24.45

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.37 MX$25.48

86.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.57 MX$29.19

35.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.37 MX$25.55

41.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.38 MX$25.73

36.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.34 MX$24.94

-14.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.77 MX$14.39

53.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$4.01 MX$74.7

7.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.99 MX$149

24.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.96 MX$36.56

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$3.99 MX$74.3

-33.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.02 MX$19.04

-46.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$34.66 MX$646

-23.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.80 MX$52.1

77.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$2.19 MX$40.87

52.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$19.17 MX$357

-72.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.37 MX$25.57

5.11%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$24.5K MX$457.2K

-15.80%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$23.1K MX$430.4K

1.57%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$47.16 MX$879

79.79%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$21.80 MX$406

7.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$28.74 MX$535

-0.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$39.07 MX$728

46.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$16.32 MX$304

77.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$3.99 MX$74.3

28.82%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$198 MX$3,693

4.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,438 MX$82.7K

-11.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$33.30 MX$620

30.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$32.11 MX$598

29.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$75.5 MX$1,407

-1.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$37.44 MX$698

138.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$967 MX$18.0K

1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$265 MX$4,932

43.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,370 MX$25.5K

24.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$534 MX$9,945

101.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,628 MX$49.0K

50.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,427 MX$26.6K

331.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$837 MX$15.6K

-12.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.07

-5.14%

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 Mexicali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mexicali

$265 28.5% 30.5% $116

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mexicali

$193 20.8% 24.2% $62

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mexicali

$192 20.7% 5.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mexicali

$98 10.5% 28.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mexicali

$80 8.7% 28.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mexicali

$47 5.1% 30.1% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mexicali

$53 5.7% 4.1% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $967 in Mexicali. 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 14% higher in Mexicali, 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 $33 in Mexicali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $193 – making Mexicali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

05:12 5:12 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

854,186

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mexicali 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mexicali

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 Mexicali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $927 in Mexicali – Mexicali comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,391 in Mexicali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $967 in Mexicali. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $33 in Mexicali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mexicali, where all-in costs run around $927, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Mexicali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $927 in Mexicali to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.