Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Panajachel

For one person, living is cheaper in Panajachel: $745 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Panajachel

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $745 in Panajachel.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Panajachel $745

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,242 in Panajachel.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Panajachel $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,739 in Panajachel.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Panajachel $1,739

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 61% more expensive than in Panajachel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Panajachel 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$6.89 Q 52.6

54.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$49.46 Q 378

-11.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$7.91 Q 60.4

49.05%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$3.42 Q 26.11

10.82%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.16 Q 8.83

12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.93 Q 7.08

-10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$3.18 Q 24.29

-0.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$4.72 Q 36.01

4.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$2.10 Q 16.00

-32.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$3.08 Q 23.54

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$2.13 Q 16.27

-30.99%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.35 Q 17.92

6.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$6.33 Q 48.32

15.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$9.54 Q 72.9

-16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$13.46 Q 103

-4.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$3.78 Q 28.90

-23.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.65 Q 12.63

-16.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$2.84 Q 21.66

-12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.63 Q 12.45

24.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.53 Q 11.70

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$2.08 Q 15.89

-8.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.68 Q 5.18

67.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.17 Q 8.90

5.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$4.02 Q 30.73

6.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$8.24 Q 62.9

19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.71 Q 13.06

-7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.72 Q 20.78

1.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$5.18 Q 39.57

-8.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$10.60 Q 81.0

-49.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.34 Q 10.24

14.18%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$27.1K Q 206.6K

-21.59%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$25.2K Q 192.7K

-7.82%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$72.7 Q 555

14.91%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$29.08 Q 222

-20.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$45.40 Q 347

-39.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$6.40 Q 48.84

-21.88%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$338 Q 2,582

-38.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$6,571 Q 50.2K

-20.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$49.15 Q 375

-11.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$47.06 Q 359

-9.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$115 Q 880

-36.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$111 Q 845

-20.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.62

-1.46%

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 Panajachel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Panajachel

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Panajachel

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Panajachel

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Panajachel

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Panajachel

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Panajachel

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Panajachel

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $49 in Panajachel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $281 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇹 Panajachel

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,142

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Panajachel 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Panajachel

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 Panajachel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panajachel wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Panajachel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,117 in Panajachel 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.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $338 in Panajachel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $49 in Panajachel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.