Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Piedras Negras

For one person, living is cheaper in Piedras Negras: $1,143 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $730 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 Piedras Negras
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Piedras Negras Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Piedras Negras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,143 in Piedras Negras.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Piedras Negras $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,832 in Piedras Negras.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Piedras Negras $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,521 in Piedras Negras.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Piedras Negras $2,521

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 5% more expensive than in Piedras Negras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Piedras Negras 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$11.07 MX$204

-1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$44.31 MX$819

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.74 MX$162

34.55%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.64 MX$67.3

1.10%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.40 MX$25.83

-4.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.06 MX$19.54

-22.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.41 MX$44.57

26.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.00 MX$73.9

23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.59 MX$29.34

-7.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.67 MX$49.36

-16.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.67 MX$30.82

-11.38%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.43 MX$44.94

2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.38 MX$155

-10.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.51 MX$157

-6.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.31 MX$209

11.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.72 MX$50.2

2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.54 MX$28.45

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.93 MX$35.67

35.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.80 MX$33.34

18.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.93 MX$35.59

4.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.82 MX$33.71

9.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.43 MX$26.41

-20.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.12 MX$20.73

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.28 MX$79.1

-0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.39 MX$192

-3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.76 MX$32.46

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.23 MX$59.7

-17.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.64 MX$11.90

-17.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.54 MX$46.95

92.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.01 MX$37.21

70.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$10.83 MX$200

-50.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.29 MX$23.90

12.40%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$20.9K MX$386.5K

1.15%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$23.9K MX$442.6K

-3.89%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$58.1 MX$1,073

47.00%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$23.02 MX$425

1.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$29.92 MX$553

-4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$33.75 MX$624

84.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$19.83 MX$366

44.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.33 MX$98.5

-4.32%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$219 MX$4,051

-8.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$4,618 MX$85.3K

-14.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$54.9 MX$1,015

-19.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$40.64 MX$751

1.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$99.3 MX$1,835

-26.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$90.7 MX$1,675

-1.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$599 MX$11.1K

63.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$391 MX$7,221

-4.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,038 MX$19.2K

62.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$753 MX$13.9K

45.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,878 MX$34.7K

110.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,167 MX$21.6K

425.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,645 MX$30.4K

-55.16%

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 Piedras Negras: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Piedras Negras

$391 34.2% 4.8% $18

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Piedras Negras

$265 23.2% 2.5% $6.4

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Piedras Negras

$188 16.5% 5.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Piedras Negras

$111 9.7% 19.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Piedras Negras

$128 11.2% 15.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Piedras Negras

$44 3.9% 38.7% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Piedras Negras

$15 * 1.3% 70.6% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $599 in Piedras Negras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piedras Negras pays 123% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $44.00 in Piedras Negras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $265 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

173,959

💱 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

Lowest

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Piedras Negras 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Piedras Negras

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 Piedras Negras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piedras Negras is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 123% lower in Piedras Negras. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $599 in Piedras Negras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $219 in Piedras Negras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Piedras Negras – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,143 in Piedras Negras versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Piedras Negras but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Piedras Negras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Piedras Negras is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Piedras Negras 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.