Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Minas

For one person, living is cheaper in Minas: $1,065 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Minas
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Minas Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Minas

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,065 in Minas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Minas $1,065

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,730 in Minas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Minas $1,730

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,395 in Minas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Minas $2,395

Playa del Carmen costs about 13% more than Minas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Minas are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Minas 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$15.50 UYU 624

-31.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$68.2 UYU 2,742

-35.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$14.93 UYU 601

-21.03%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$4.35 UYU 175

-12.87%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$2.51 UYU 101

-48.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$1.87 UYU 75.1

-55.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$4.88 UYU 196

-35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.66 UYU 147

34.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.29 UYU 51.9

9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$2.94 UYU 118

-25.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.72 UYU 69.0

-14.53%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$4.62 UYU 186

-45.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$13.93 UYU 560

-47.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$11.34 UYU 456

-29.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$12.19 UYU 490

5.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$2.87 UYU 116

1.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$2.80 UYU 113

-50.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$1.69 UYU 67.9

47.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$3.19 UYU 128

-36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$1.95 UYU 78.4

3.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$2.21 UYU 88.7

-14.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$1.41 UYU 56.5

-19.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.95 UYU 78.3

-36.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$5.35 UYU 215

-20.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$8.26 UYU 332

18.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-29.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$2.69 UYU 108

2.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$0.77 UYU 30.96

-33.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$1.82 UYU 73.2

161.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$1.05 UYU 42.42

209.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$12.74 UYU 512

-57.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-31.08%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

-19.64%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$35.7K UYU 1.4M

-34.79%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$181 UYU 7,260

-53.75%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$21.03 UYU 846

10.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$42.55 UYU 1,711

-35.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$12.43 UYU 500

-59.77%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$619 UYU 24.9K

-66.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$11.4K UYU 457.3K

-53.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$101 UYU 4,065

-57.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$55.4 UYU 2,228

-23.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$125 UYU 5,011

-41.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$134 UYU 5,405

-34.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.65

102.65%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Minas: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Minas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Minas

$329 30.9% 27.8% $72

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Minas

$270 25.4% 34.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Minas

$244 22.9% 81.8% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Minas

$187 17.6% 68.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Minas

$25 * 2.3% 62.6% $42

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Minas

$10 * 1% 79.8% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $68 in Minas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $329 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇾 Minas

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

01:09 1:09 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

38,446

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Minas 6,980 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Minas

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 Minas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $1,065 in Minas – Minas comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,598 in Minas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,065 in Minas. That makes Minas about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $619 in Minas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,065 in Minas, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,065 in Minas to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.