Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mixco

For one person, living is cheaper in Mixco: $818 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mixco
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Mixco Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Mixco

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $818 in Mixco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Mixco $818

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,356 in Mixco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Mixco $1,356

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,895 in Mixco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Mixco $1,895

Playa del Carmen costs about 48% more than Mixco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mixco are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Mixco 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$8.90 Q 68.1

20.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$51.8 Q 396

-16.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$8.72 Q 66.7

35.21%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.98 Q 30.42

-2.76%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.13 Q 16.28

-35.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.45 Q 11.09

-42.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.87 Q 29.59

-19.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$5.83 Q 44.60

-13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.09 Q 15.94

-31.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$3.76 Q 28.73

-40.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.93 Q 14.79

-23.83%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.41 Q 18.42

4.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$5.39 Q 41.23

35.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$13.80 Q 106

-43.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.38 Q 79.3

23.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$5.02 Q 38.41

-42.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.25 Q 17.20

-36.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$5.23 Q 39.97

-51.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.57 Q 12.01

31.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.87 Q 14.29

6.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.73 Q 13.20

16.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.28 Q 9.78

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.37 Q 10.50

-8.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.01 Q 30.66

9.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$7.66 Q 58.6

25.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.91 Q 22.23

-45.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.76 Q 28.77

-25.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$4.62 Q 35.29

7.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.26 Q 9.65

16.67%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$22.7K Q 173.8K

-7.67%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$21.7K Q 165.9K

10.16%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$58.2 Q 445

44.59%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$37.89 Q 290

-36.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$62.4 Q 477

-53.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.98 Q 61.0

-38.10%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$541 Q 4,133

-62.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$13.8K Q 105.5K

-71.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$44.23 Q 338

-1.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$54.3 Q 415

-20.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$90.4 Q 691

-16.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$78.8 Q 603

12.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mixco: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Mixco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Mixco

$328 40.1% 26.7% $69

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Mixco

$190 23.3% 5.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Mixco

$159 19.4% 15.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Mixco

$121 14.7% 6.7% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Mixco

$16 * 2% 78.1% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Mixco

$4.6 * 0.6% 91.2% $48

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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $52.0 in Mixco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $328 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇹 Mixco

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

688,124

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mixco 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mixco

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 Mixco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,226 in Mixco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $818 in Mixco. That's a gap of about 48%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $541 in Mixco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mixco, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Mixco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mixco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mixco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.