Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $800 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
Learn more

Pasto Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $800 in Pasto.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Pasto $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,216 in Pasto.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Pasto $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,632 in Pasto.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Pasto $1,632

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 50% more expensive than in Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Pasto 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$3.92 COP 12.7K

172.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$23.47 COP 76.1K

86.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$7.35 COP 23.8K

60.41%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.51 COP 4,909

150.99%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.89 COP 2,876

46.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.61 COP 1,984

36.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$1.16 COP 3,748

171.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.17 COP 7,025

127.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.05 COP 3,402

34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.30 COP 4,204

69.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.19 COP 3,871

23.53%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.15 COP 6,959

16.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$4.59 COP 14.9K

58.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$5.44 COP 17.6K

46.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$7.44 COP 24.1K

72.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.47 COP 8,025

17.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.09 COP 3,521

26.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.31 COP 4,235

90.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.11 COP 3,603

82.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.17 COP 3,801

72.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.16 COP 3,767

63.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.88 COP 2,858

29.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.70 COP 2,261

77.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.34 COP 7,577

82.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$9.77 COP 31.7K

0.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.08 COP 3,519

47.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$1.70 COP 5,511

61.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.72 COP 2,330

-29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$29.47 COP 95.6K

-7.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.43 COP 4,650

232.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.71 COP 5,549

90.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$6.01 COP 19.5K

-10.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.01 COP 3,275

51.49%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$18.2K COP 58.9M

16.75%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$25.8K COP 83.5M

-9.67%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$82.5 COP 267.4K

1.25%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$8.84 COP 28.7K

162.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$22.93 COP 74.4K

20.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$23.51 COP 76.3K

140.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$3.92 COP 12.7K

27.55%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$239 COP 776.7K

-13.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$5,979 COP 19.4M

-12.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$60.1 COP 194.8K

-27.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$32.73 COP 106.2K

29.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$81.9 COP 265.5K

-11.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$71.4 COP 231.6K

23.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$272 COP 880.9K

266.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$238 COP 772.9K

60.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$535 COP 1.7M

213.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$424 COP 1.4M

154.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,447 COP 4.7M

170.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,087 COP 3.5M

464.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.06

-12.33%

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 Pasto: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Pasto

$238 29.8% 37.7% $144

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Pasto

$176 22% 31.7% $82

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Pasto

$88 11% 56.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Pasto

$114 14.3% 14.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Pasto

$111 13.8% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Pasto

$31 3.9% 52.8% $35

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Pasto

$42 5.3% 16.1% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $272 in Pasto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Pasto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $176 per month, with Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇴 Pasto

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

392,930

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Pasto 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pasto

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 Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $800 in Pasto, so Pasto is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,201 in Pasto 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 $272 in Pasto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pasto – a meal for two runs $23 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $800 in Pasto versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Pasto but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Pasto 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.