Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ponce

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,941 in Ponce, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Ponce
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Ponce Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Ponce

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,941 in Ponce, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Ponce $1,941

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,726 in Ponce, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ponce $2,726

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,510 in Ponce, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Ponce $3,510

Playa del Carmen is about 38% cheaper than Ponce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Ponce is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$16.70 $16.70

-36.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$60.2 $60.2

-27.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.41 $9.41

25.29%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.46 $3.46

9.54%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.72 $1.72

-24.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.51 $1.51

-45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.72 $2.72

15.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.94 $3.94

25.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.62 $1.62

-12.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.40 $3.40

-35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.02 $1.02

44.12%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$5.97 $5.97

-58.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$12.73 $12.73

-42.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.67 $6.67

19.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.36 $13.36

-3.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$5.04 $5.04

-42.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.63 $2.63

-47.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.91 $4.91

-49.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.89 $4.89

-58.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.74 $3.74

-45.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$4.07 $4.07

-53.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$3.47 $3.47

-67.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.67 $1.67

-25.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$12.05 $12.05

-64.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$15.32 $15.32

-35.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.96 $2.96

-46.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$4.07 $4.07

-32.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.43 $2.43

95.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.49 $1.49

118.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$41.17 $41.17

-86.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.17 $1.17

30.77%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$34.2K $34.2K

-37.99%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$28.2K $28.2K

-17.40%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$321 $321

-73.96%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$49.62 $49.62

-53.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$60.3 $60.3

-54.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$30.60 $30.60

84.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.95 $6.95

-28.06%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$818 $818

-74.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$3,504 $3,504

49.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$56.3 $56.3

-22.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$39.52 $39.52

7.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$81.2 $81.2

-10.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$112 $112

-20.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,056 $1,056

-5.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$707 $707

-45.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,070 $2,070

-19.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$963 $963

12.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.55

74.81%

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 Ponce: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Ponce

$707 36.4% 84.9% $325

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Ponce

$382 19.7% 48.3% $124

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Ponce

$238 12.3% 18.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Ponce

$431 22.2% 221% $296

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Ponce

$130 6.7% 16.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Ponce

$45 2.3% 33% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ponce

$9.9 * 0.5% 80.5% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,056 in Ponce. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $60 in Ponce. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $382 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Ponce

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

22:17 10:17 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

107,951

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ponce 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ponce

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 Ponce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ponce is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,912 in Ponce. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,056 in Ponce. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,941 in Ponce. That makes Playa del Carmen about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $818 in Ponce. 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 Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Ponce at $1,941. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ponce it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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