Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $660 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $660 in Pisco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Pisco $660

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,023 in Pisco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Pisco $1,023

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,386 in Pisco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Pisco $1,386

Playa del Carmen costs about 83% more than Pisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Pisco are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Pisco 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$4.25 PEN 14.59

155.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$35.07 PEN 120

26.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.09 PEN 24.37

65.87%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.19 PEN 10.95

15.36%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.07 PEN 3.69

25.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.65 PEN 2.23

26.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.63 PEN 9.02

16.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.43 PEN 15.21

11.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.65 PEN 5.66

-10.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.32 PEN 7.96

-4.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.25 PEN 4.30

18.40%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.30 PEN 4.45

91.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$6.55 PEN 22.50

14.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.85 PEN 16.66

64.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.35 PEN 21.81

97.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.34 PEN 4.61

107.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.00 PEN 3.42

43.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.42 PEN 4.86

84.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.56 PEN 1.91

282.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.45 PEN 1.55

348.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.90 PEN 3.10

121.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.90 PEN 3.09

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.86 PEN 2.95

39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$5.74 PEN 19.71

-25.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.57 PEN 29.43

16.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.95 PEN 6.70

-21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.42 PEN 8.31

9.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.89 PEN 3.06

-40.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$35.26 PEN 121

-21.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.90 PEN 13.40

25.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.05 PEN 7.04

67.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$7.15 PEN 24.56

-24.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.67 PEN 5.72

-13.17%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.7K PEN 74.7K

-2.72%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.1K PEN 89.5K

-11.68%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$42.69 PEN 147

99.95%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$16.08 PEN 55.2

45.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$11.50 PEN 39.51

147.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$20.40 PEN 70.1

204.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$8.49 PEN 29.15

237.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.29 PEN 25.05

-30.04%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$178 PEN 611

13.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$12.9K PEN 44.2K

-69.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$52.8 PEN 181

-15.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$13.11 PEN 45.03

215.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$46.22 PEN 159

57.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$34.60 PEN 119

158.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$161 PEN 553

508.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$130 PEN 448

185.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$147 PEN 504

646.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,788 PEN 6,141

120.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,352 PEN 4,642

353.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$557 PEN 1,911

32.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.94

28.08%

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 Pisco: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Pisco

$130 19.8% 65% $242

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Pisco

$183 27.7% 29.3% $76

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Pisco

$122 18.6% 38.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Pisco

$70 10.7% 48.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Pisco

$66 10% 40.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 51.7% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Pisco

$53 8% 2.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $161 in Pisco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 33% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $35.00 in Pisco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $183 – making Pisco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

14,917

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Pisco 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $660 in Pisco – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $990 in Pisco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 28% less in Pisco. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $178 in Pisco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pisco, where all-in costs run around $660, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Pisco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $660 in Pisco to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Pisco. 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.