Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Parral

For one person, living is cheaper in Parral: $1,140 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Parral
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Parral Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Parral

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,140 in Parral, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Parral $1,140

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,832 in Parral, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Parral $1,832

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,525 in Parral, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Parral $2,525

Playa del Carmen costs about 6% more than Parral, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Parral are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Parral 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$11.13 MX$206

-2.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$43.18 MX$798

2.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.28 MX$153

42.03%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.48 MX$64.3

5.75%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.40 MX$25.92

-4.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.02 MX$18.89

-19.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.53 MX$46.67

20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.09 MX$75.7

20.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.60 MX$29.50

-8.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.65 MX$48.90

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.66 MX$30.76

-10.84%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.51 MX$46.38

-0.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.25 MX$152

-8.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.56 MX$158

-7.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.60 MX$214

8.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.67 MX$49.32

4.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.56 MX$28.88

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.93 MX$35.69

35.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.84 MX$34.03

16.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.04 MX$37.66

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.90 MX$35.07

4.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.48 MX$27.28

-22.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.08 MX$20.02

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.45 MX$82.3

-4.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.53 MX$195

-4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.82 MX$33.59

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.12 MX$57.6

-14.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.64 MX$11.80

-17.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.63 MX$48.62

86.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.01 MX$37.14

70.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$11.15 MX$206

-51.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.2K MX$391.3K

-0.09%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$24.4K MX$451.7K

-5.83%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$58.3 MX$1,077

46.42%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$22.41 MX$414

4.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$29.01 MX$536

-2.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$34.90 MX$645

78.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$20.29 MX$375

41.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.35 MX$98.8

-4.67%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$216 MX$3,992

-6.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$4,612 MX$85.2K

-14.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$55.6 MX$1,028

-20.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$40.23 MX$743

2.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$101 MX$1,868

-28.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$88.2 MX$1,630

1.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$613 MX$11.3K

59.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$388 MX$7,174

-3.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,039 MX$19.2K

61.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$761 MX$14.1K

43.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,891 MX$34.9K

108.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,145 MX$21.1K

436.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.3

1.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Parral: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Parral

$388 34.1% 4.1% $15

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Parral

$266 23.4% 3.1% $7.9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Parral

$186 16.3% 7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Parral

$110 9.6% 20.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Parral

$128 11.3% 14.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Parral

$46 4% 37% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Parral

$15 * 1.3% 70.5% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $613 in Parral. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $43.00 in Parral. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $266 in Parral – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Parral

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

113,843

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Parral 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Parral

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 Parral: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,709 in Parral. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Parral, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,140 in Parral. That's a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $216 in Parral. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Parral, where all-in costs run around $1,140, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Parral it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Parral – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Parral. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.