Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Montevideo $2,784

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,797 in Montevideo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Montevideo $3,797

Playa del Carmen is about 32% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Montevideo is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$15.63 UYU 629

-30.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$69.9 UYU 2,812

-37.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$14.51 UYU 584

-18.81%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.43 UYU 178

-14.00%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.49 UYU 100

-48.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.95 UYU 78.5

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$4.78 UYU 192

-33.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.67 UYU 148

34.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.26 UYU 50.6

11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.98 UYU 120

-25.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.74 UYU 70.1

-18.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$4.80 UYU 193

-47.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$14.06 UYU 565

-48.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.35 UYU 457

-32.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$12.16 UYU 489

4.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.74 UYU 110

1.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.83 UYU 114

-51.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.63 UYU 65.4

56.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$3.18 UYU 128

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.02 UYU 81.1

-3.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.13 UYU 85.5

-11.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.39 UYU 56.0

-17.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.94 UYU 78.2

-39.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$5.34 UYU 215

-19.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.31 UYU 334

19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.35 UYU 94.3

-32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.80 UYU 113

-4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.55 UYU 62.4

-64.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$74.9 UYU 3,013

-64.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.91 UYU 76.9

160.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.41 UYU 16.55

712.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$10.38 UYU 417

-48.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$2.23 UYU 89.5

-35.43%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

-22.12%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

-34.55%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$184 UYU 7,392

-53.87%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$20.15 UYU 810

16.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$43.24 UYU 1,739

-33.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$48.47 UYU 1,949

17.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$19.71 UYU 792

46.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$12.11 UYU 487

-57.56%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$636 UYU 25.6K

-67.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$11.0K UYU 442.1K

-64.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$101 UYU 4,050

-56.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$56.9 UYU 2,289

-27.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$123 UYU 4,937

-39.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$130 UYU 5,241

-31.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$747 UYU 30.0K

31.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$581 UYU 23.3K

-34.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

33.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

-4.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,653 UYU 146.9K

7.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$2,029 UYU 81.6K

203.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

-42.81%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Montevideo

$581 32.8% 52.5% $200

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Montevideo

$330 18.6% 29.6% $75

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Montevideo

$271 15.3% 33.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Montevideo

$247 14% 80.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Montevideo

$185 10.4% 65.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Montevideo

$73 4.1% 8% $5.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Montevideo

$85 4.8% 68.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $747 in Montevideo. 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 75% higher in Montevideo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $70 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $330 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.77 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Montevideo

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 Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,657 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montevideo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $747 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $636 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Montevideo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,771 in Montevideo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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