Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nogales

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Nogales: $1,202 and $1,207 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
Learn more

Nogales Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,207 in Nogales.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Nogales $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,877 in Nogales.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Nogales $1,877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,547 in Nogales.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Nogales $2,547

Monthly costs are close between Playa del Carmen and Nogales; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Nogales 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$10.57 MX$198

0.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$43.20 MX$808

1.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$8.57 MX$160

37.57%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$3.44 MX$64.4

10.17%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$1.35 MX$25.16

-3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$1.05 MX$19.59

-20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$2.46 MX$46.08

28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$3.96 MX$74.2

24.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.60 MX$29.94

-11.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$2.54 MX$47.54

-13.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.64 MX$30.70

-10.37%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$2.48 MX$46.47

0.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.14 MX$152

-10.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$8.37 MX$157

-5.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$11.40 MX$213

12.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$2.68 MX$50.1

8.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.50 MX$28.08

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$1.92 MX$35.87

29.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$1.83 MX$34.28

10.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$1.94 MX$36.29

4.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.82 MX$34.07

4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$1.38 MX$25.76

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$1.06 MX$19.81

16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$4.28 MX$80.0

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$10.12 MX$189

-3.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.71 MX$31.97

-7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$3.14 MX$58.7

-12.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$0.63 MX$11.72

-19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$29.70 MX$555

-7.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$2.62 MX$48.98

81.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$1.99 MX$37.22

63.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$10.94 MX$205

-50.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.48 MX$27.61

3.38%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$23.6K MX$440.7K

-9.96%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$23.5K MX$439.6K

-1.02%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$56.7 MX$1,061

47.14%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$22.57 MX$422

2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$29.55 MX$553

-6.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$32.41 MX$606

74.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$19.71 MX$369

43.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$5.25 MX$98.2

-4.76%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$218 MX$4,084

-5.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$4,499 MX$84.1K

16.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$53.8 MX$1,006

-19.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$39.92 MX$747

6.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$97.6 MX$1,826

-25.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$87.3 MX$1,633

1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$587 MX$11.0K

69.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$443 MX$8,291

-13.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$1,029 MX$19.2K

62.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$760 MX$14.2K

42.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$1,910 MX$35.7K

104.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$1,136 MX$21.3K

440.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.31

1.24%

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 Nogales: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Nogales

$443 36.7% 15.9% $61

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Nogales

$260 21.6% 1.2% $3

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Nogales

$181 15% 9.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Nogales

$109 9% 18.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Nogales

$125 10.4% 12.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Nogales

$43 3.6% 35.4% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Nogales

$45 3.7% 11.3% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $587 in Nogales. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $43 in Nogales. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $260, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Nogales

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

261,137

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nogales 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nogales

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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,810 in Nogales 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $587 in Nogales. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $218 in Nogales. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 8% less than in Nogales. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.