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 14.9% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 20.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 22.1% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 45.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$201
$11.90 MX$206
-2.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$739
$31.15 MX$539
37.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$6.33 MX$109
67.46%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.62 MX$45.37
37.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.10
$1.14 MX$19.73
27.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.52
$0.98 MX$16.91
-8.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.29 MX$22.37
134.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$4.07 MX$70.3
12.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.10
$1.22 MX$21.07
18.85%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.59
$2.28 MX$39.49
-19.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.80
$1.47 MX$25.48
9.52%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.87
$2.61 MX$45.16
-2.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$2.32 MX$40.13
268.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$5.76 MX$99.6
47.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$6.19 MX$107
75.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.18
$1.56 MX$26.89
75.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.80
$1.35 MX$23.39
10.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.59
$1.34 MX$23.24
44.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.42
$1.61 MX$27.84
34.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.92
$1.35 MX$23.38
37.04%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.84
$1.34 MX$23.11
63.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.54
$1.06 MX$18.36
0.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.73
$0.81 MX$13.98
33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.2
$3.96 MX$68.5
2.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$8.92 MX$154
17.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.59
$1.93 MX$33.29
-14.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.06
$3.37 MX$58.3
-24.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.61
$0.99 MX$17.12
-43.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$33.25 MX$575
-21.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.3
$2.79 MX$48.26
12.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$41.00
$1.56 MX$26.95
51.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$3.16 MX$54.6
2.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.72
$1.31 MX$22.57
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$528.0K
$23.2K MX$400.7K
31.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.9K
$21.0K MX$362.3K
13.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,438
$55.8 MX$964
49.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$22.38 MX$387
-1.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$508
$31.66 MX$547
-7.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$885
$37.82 MX$654
35.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$16.01 MX$277
16.74%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.5
$4.05 MX$70.0
20.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,435
$206 MX$3,554
-3.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$90.0K
$2,711 MX$46.9K
92.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$26.67 MX$461
34.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$681
$31.38 MX$543
25.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,388
$73.6 MX$1,272
9.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,514
$69.5 MX$1,202
25.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.7K
$646 MX$11.2K
49.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,336
$399 MX$6,893
20.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$1,171 MX$20.2K
40.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$668 MX$11.6K
78.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.4K
$2,815 MX$48.7K
40.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.6K
$1,533 MX$26.5K
324.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Mexicali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.6K
$896 MX$15.5K
-18.96%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: April 12, 2026

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

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