Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pachuca

For one person, living is cheaper in Pachuca: $877 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Pachuca
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Pachuca Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Pachuca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $877 in Pachuca.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Pachuca $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,460 in Pachuca.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Pachuca $1,460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,044 in Pachuca.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Pachuca $2,044

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 37% more expensive than in Pachuca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Pachuca 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.96 MX$93.1

120.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$25.47 MX$478

70.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.91 MX$148

48.93%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.98 MX$55.9

27.85%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.12 MX$21.00

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.80 MX$15.03

-2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.64 MX$30.83

93.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.15 MX$59.2

56.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.49 MX$27.97

-5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.51 MX$47.21

-11.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.79 MX$33.68

-20.67%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.67 MX$50.1

-5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$7.13 MX$134

1.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.54 MX$85.3

69.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$7.64 MX$143

66.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.00 MX$37.46

39.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.31 MX$24.67

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.46 MX$27.38

74.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.64 MX$30.75

29.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.46 MX$27.36

32.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.28 MX$23.95

47.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.89 MX$16.68

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.96 MX$17.94

22.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$4.30 MX$80.7

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.25 MX$155

20.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.31 MX$24.60

20.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.45 MX$46.03

8.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.59 MX$11.03

-6.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$26.43 MX$496

0.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.62 MX$49.15

89.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$2.58 MX$48.50

29.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$10.61 MX$199

-49.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.41 MX$26.53

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$21.5K MX$404.1K

-3.99%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$22.9K MX$430.1K

2.42%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$45.14 MX$847

87.84%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$19.13 MX$359

22.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$22.63 MX$425

26.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$23.75 MX$446

140.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$10.81 MX$203

167.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$4.20 MX$78.8

22.38%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$163 MX$3,056

26.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$2,635 MX$49.5K

49.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$51.0 MX$957

-14.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$41.00 MX$770

1.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$93.3 MX$1,751

-20.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$75.3 MX$1,414

18.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$388 MX$7,278

152.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$268 MX$5,029

42.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$600 MX$11.3K

184.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$675 MX$12.7K

59.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$737 MX$13.8K

434.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$645 MX$12.1K

854.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$651 MX$12.2K

12.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.8

6.02%

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 Pachuca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Pachuca

$268 30.6% 29.7% $113

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Pachuca

$207 23.6% 18.9% $48

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Pachuca

$121 13.8% 40.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Pachuca

$87 9.9% 36.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Pachuca

$117 13.4% 4.9% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Pachuca

$32 3.7% 52.2% $35

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Pachuca

$44 5.1% 12.2% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $388 in Pachuca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $25 in Pachuca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $207 per month, with Pachuca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Pachuca

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

297,848

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Playa del Carmen Pachuca 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Pachuca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pachuca is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $388 in Pachuca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $163 in Pachuca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pachuca – a meal for two runs $25 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $877 in Pachuca versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pachuca but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Pachuca 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.

It comes down to priorities – Pachuca wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.