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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,197 in Permet.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,125 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,850 in Permet.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,990 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,503 in Permet.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 5% more expensive than in Permet, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Permet 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 MX$203

$11.92 ALL 969

-1.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 MX$725

$58.5 ALL 4,751

-28.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 MX$182

$9.30 ALL 756

13.01%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$2.04 ALL 166

75.98%

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

$1.51 MX$26.10

$1.87 ALL 152

-19.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 MX$15.83

$0.91 ALL 74.2

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MX$51.2

$2.97 ALL 241

-0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$76.3

$4.19 ALL 341

5.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$24.16

$2.07 ALL 168

-32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.60

$1.09 ALL 88.2

72.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$26.97

$2.23 ALL 181

-30.04%

Eggs

$2.61 MX$45.14

$3.83 ALL 311

-31.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 MX$144

$13.38 ALL 1,087

-37.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 MX$145

$7.72 ALL 627

8.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$15.45 ALL 1,255

-29.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MX$46.93

$1.79 ALL 145

51.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$26.04

$2.71 ALL 220

-44.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.41

$1.97 ALL 160

-5.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.89

$1.98 ALL 161

10.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.14

$1.31 ALL 107

41.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.59

$1.29 ALL 104

72.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.48

$1.45 ALL 118

-26.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.79

$0.74 ALL 60.2

47.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MX$72.4

$4.31 ALL 350

-2.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 MX$180

$10.78 ALL 876

-3.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$28.68

$1.65 ALL 134

0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$45.19

$2.09 ALL 169

24.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.37

$0.46 ALL 36.97

17.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.16 MX$453

$18.48 ALL 1,502

41.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 MX$53.3

$3.48 ALL 283

-11.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$41.61

$3.10 ALL 252

-22.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$54.1

$17.31 ALL 1,406

-81.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.69

$2.14 ALL 174

-38.79%

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

$29.8K MX$515.7K

$40.4K ALL 3.3M

-26.28%

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

$23.3K MX$403.5K

$35.9K ALL 2.9M

-35.01%

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

$81.3 MX$1,406

$109 ALL 8,822

-25.14%

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

$22.56 MX$390

$18.22 ALL 1,480

23.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.05 MX$520

$18.75 ALL 1,523

60.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 MX$915

$55.3 ALL 4,489

-4.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 MX$318

$25.40 ALL 2,064

-27.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MX$85.1

$9.38 ALL 762

-47.55%

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

$201 MX$3,474

$157 ALL 12.7K

28.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,175 MX$89.5K

$5,688 ALL 462.2K

-9.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.92 MX$622

$66.9 ALL 5,433

-46.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 MX$694

$50.3 ALL 4,084

-20.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 MX$1,379

$106 ALL 8,630

-24.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 MX$1,496

$127 ALL 10.3K

-31.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 MX$16.9K

$452 ALL 36.7K

116.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,140

$340 ALL 27.6K

38.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 MX$28.6K

$609 ALL 49.4K

171.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 MX$20.8K

$438 ALL 35.6K

174.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 MX$68.4K

$2,040 ALL 165.7K

93.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,607 MX$114.3K

$1,226 ALL 99.6K

438.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$677 MX$11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

5.52

106.88%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Last update for Permet: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $978 in Playa del Carmen and $452 in Permet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $58.0 in Permet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $279 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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 Permet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Permet differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,260 vs $1,197 including rent). Permet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,890 in Playa del Carmen and $1,795 in Permet 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: $978 in Playa del Carmen versus $452 in Permet. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Permet – a meal for two runs $58.0 versus $42.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,260 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,197 in Permet – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,197 in Permet versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Permet but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Permet 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.

Expats usually find Permet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.