Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Neiva

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,443 in Neiva, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Neiva
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Neiva Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Neiva

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,443 in Neiva.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Neiva $1,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,051 in Neiva.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Neiva $2,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,658 in Neiva.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Neiva $2,658

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 17% less than in Neiva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Neiva is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$7.84 COP 25.3K

39.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$42.84 COP 138.2K

1.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.28 COP 33.2K

14.59%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$2.49 COP 8,040

53.01%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$1.33 COP 4,284

-3.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.83 COP 2,694

-6.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$2.01 COP 6,482

57.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$4.18 COP 13.5K

17.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.71 COP 5,524

-17.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$2.41 COP 7,767

-7.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.71 COP 5,513

-16.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$3.45 COP 11.1K

-26.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.10 COP 26.1K

-10.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.26 COP 23.4K

6.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$9.72 COP 31.4K

30.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$3.67 COP 11.8K

-24.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.83 COP 5,904

-25.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.92 COP 6,180

32.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.88 COP 6,071

12.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.44 COP 4,659

34.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.44 COP 4,631

31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.35 COP 4,367

-14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$1.18 COP 3,810

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$4.36 COP 14.1K

-1.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.43 COP 40.1K

-19.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.47 COP 4,737

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-15.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.96 COP 3,103

-42.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$62.7 COP 202.3K

-57.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$2.33 COP 7,512

113.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$2.46 COP 7,932

35.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-43.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.29 COP 4,164

11.63%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$34.8K COP 112.2M

-40.57%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$35.6K COP 115.0M

-34.16%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$123 COP 398.2K

-31.28%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$16.30 COP 52.6K

43.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$30.21 COP 97.5K

-5.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$40.32 COP 130.1K

41.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$7.92 COP 25.5K

-35.10%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$559 COP 1.8M

-63.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$7,683 COP 24.8M

-48.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$82.8 COP 267.2K

-47.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$48.19 COP 155.5K

-14.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$144 COP 463.6K

-48.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$109 COP 350.6K

-17.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$731 COP 2.4M

34.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$550 COP 1.8M

-30.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$1,455 COP 4.7M

17.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$696 COP 2.2M

54.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$2,136 COP 6.9M

84.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,609 COP 5.2M

282.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-4.58%

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 Neiva: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Neiva

$550 38.1% 44.3% $169

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Neiva

$263 18.3% 3.3% $8.5

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Neiva

$151 10.4% 25.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Neiva

$170 11.8% 24.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Neiva

$172 12% 54.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Neiva

$56 3.9% 16.6% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Neiva

$81 5.6% 60.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $731 in Neiva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $43 in Neiva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $263 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇴 Neiva

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

357,392

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Neiva 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Neiva

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 Neiva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Neiva. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $2,165 in Neiva 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 $731 in Neiva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Neiva. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,443 in Neiva – Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.