Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Montanita

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $893 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$893

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $893 in Montanita.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Montanita $893

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,344 in Montanita.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Montanita $1,344

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,796 in Montanita.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Montanita $1,796

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 35% more expensive than in Montanita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Montanita 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.44 $3.44

217.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$27.67 $27.67

56.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.30 $7.30

61.37%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.40 $2.40

58.75%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.85 $0.85

50.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.63 $0.63

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.96 $1.96

61.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.59 $3.59

37.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.13 $1.13

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.71 $1.71

29.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.50 $1.50

-5.33%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.10 $2.10

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$5.40 $5.40

34.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.45 $5.45

41.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$6.40 $6.40

98.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.10 $2.10

32.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.22 $1.22

12.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.09 $1.09

133.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.09 $1.09

94.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.43 $1.43

35.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.02 $1.02

85.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.49 $0.49

134.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.02 $1.02

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$6.10 $6.10

-29.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$9.82 $9.82

1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.52 $1.52

3.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.55 $2.55

4.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.36 $0.36

52.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$23.56 $23.56

12.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.53 $1.53

224.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.02 $1.02

226.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$10.03 $10.03

-46.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.62 $0.62

132.26%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$24.9K $24.9K

-16.92%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$28.3K $28.3K

-16.98%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$40.55 $40.55

109.10%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$13.96 $13.96

67.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$30.87 $30.87

-7.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$29.86 $29.86

91.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$14.43 $14.43

100.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.33 $7.33

-29.88%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$256 $256

-19.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$5,690 $5,690

-30.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.5 $55.5

-21.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$42.86 $42.86

-3.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$101 $101

-26.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$74.8 $74.8

19.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$336 $336

191.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$321 $321

18.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$622 $622

174.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$503 $503

113.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,245 $1,245

216.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,013 $1,013

507.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

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 Montanita: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Montanita

$321 35.9% 15.8% $60

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Montanita

$186 20.8% 27% $69

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Montanita

$101 11.3% 50% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Montanita

$85 9.6% 37.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Montanita

$123 13.8% 10.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Montanita

$45 5% 33.9% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Montanita

$32 3.6% 37.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $336 in Montanita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $28 in Montanita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $186 per month, with Montanita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Montanita

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Montanita 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Montanita

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 Montanita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montanita is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,339 in Montanita to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $336 in Montanita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $256 in Montanita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $893 in Montanita versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Montanita but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Montanita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Montanita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.