Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Paola Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Paola

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 11.4% cheaper than Paola without rent, and 34.7% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 29.3% cheaper than Paola without rent, and 17.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Paola
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$201
$17.58 โ‚ฌ14.93
-33.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$739
$47.13 โ‚ฌ40.02
-9.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$9.28 โ‚ฌ7.88
14.22%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$1.69 โ‚ฌ1.44
112.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.10
$2.35 โ‚ฌ2.00
-38.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.52
$1.19 โ‚ฌ1.01
-24.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$4.14 โ‚ฌ3.51
-26.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$3.51 โ‚ฌ2.98
29.91%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Paola
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.10
$1.41 โ‚ฌ1.20
2.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.59
$1.25 โ‚ฌ1.06
46.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.80
$4.36 โ‚ฌ3.70
-63.07%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.87
$4.46 โ‚ฌ3.79
-43.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$10.38 โ‚ฌ8.82
-17.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$9.15 โ‚ฌ7.76
-7.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$14.20 โ‚ฌ12.06
-23.52%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.18
$4.32 โ‚ฌ3.67
-36.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.80
$3.04 โ‚ฌ2.58
-50.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.59
$3.20 โ‚ฌ2.72
-39.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.42
$3.77 โ‚ฌ3.20
-42.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.92
$2.49 โ‚ฌ2.12
-25.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.84
$1.30 โ‚ฌ1.10
68.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.54
$2.35 โ‚ฌ1.99
-54.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.73
$1.20 โ‚ฌ1.02
-10.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.2
$6.34 โ‚ฌ5.39
-35.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$8.50 โ‚ฌ7.21
23.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.59
$1.92 โ‚ฌ1.63
-14.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.06
$2.22 โ‚ฌ1.89
14.86%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Paola
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.61
$2.71 โ‚ฌ2.30
-79.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.3
$5.72 โ‚ฌ4.86
-45.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$41.00
$4.19 โ‚ฌ3.56
-43.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$49.40 โ‚ฌ41.94
-93.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.72
$1.51 โ‚ฌ1.28
-13.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$528.0K
$38.3K โ‚ฌ32.5K
-20.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.9K
$37.8K โ‚ฌ32.1K
-36.93%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Paola
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,438
$94.4 โ‚ฌ80.2
-11.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$28.66 โ‚ฌ24.33
-22.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$508
$46.46 โ‚ฌ39.44
-36.78%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Paola
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$885
$65.0 โ‚ฌ55.2
-21.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$23.47 โ‚ฌ19.93
-20.37%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.5
$10.47 โ‚ฌ8.89
-53.30%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Paola
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,435
$427 โ‚ฌ362
-53.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$90.0K
$11.1K โ‚ฌ9,435
-53.14%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Paola
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$92.2 โ‚ฌ78.3
-61.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$681
$38.08 โ‚ฌ32.33
3.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,388
$101 โ‚ฌ85.9
-20.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,514
$101 โ‚ฌ85.6
-13.15%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Paola
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.7K
$1,148 โ‚ฌ975
-16.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,336
$936 โ‚ฌ795
-48.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$2,024 โ‚ฌ1,718
-18.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$1,481 โ‚ฌ1,257
-19.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.4K
$3,669 โ‚ฌ3,115
7.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.6K
$2,548 โ‚ฌ2,163
155.60%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Paola
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.6K
$1,410 โ‚ฌ1,197
-48.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.08
124.80%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Paola: April 14, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities