Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Padre

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,375 in Puerto Padre, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Puerto Padre despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Padre
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Puerto Padre Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Puerto Padre

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Puerto Padre

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,375 in Puerto Padre, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Puerto Padre $1,375

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,026 in Puerto Padre, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Puerto Padre $2,026

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,677 in Puerto Padre, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Puerto Padre $2,677

Playa del Carmen is about 12% cheaper than Puerto Padre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$9.98 CUP 240

9.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$71.0 CUP 1,703

-38.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.23 CUP 174

62.93%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.23 CUP 77.6

17.96%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.54 CUP 37.06

-16.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.99 CUP 23.67

-21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$7.31 CUP 176

-56.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$7.56 CUP 181

-34.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.80 CUP 67.3

-49.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.03 CUP 48.81

9.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.57 CUP 61.7

-44.75%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$3.94 CUP 94.5

-36.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$18.54 CUP 445

-60.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.16 CUP 244

-24.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$19.61 CUP 471

-35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.23 CUP 102

-34.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.05 CUP 49.30

-33.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.69 CUP 64.7

-5.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$2.71 CUP 65.1

-21.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.32 CUP 55.8

-16.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.25 CUP 54.1

-16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.71 CUP 41.09

-32.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.34 CUP 32.05

-11.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.51 CUP 84.3

22.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$21.56 CUP 518

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.97 CUP 47.19

-19.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.93 CUP 94.2

-32.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.18 CUP 4.35

205.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$27.54 CUP 661

-3.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.27 CUP 78.5

51.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.73 CUP 17.49

356.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$19.87 CUP 477

-73.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.23 CUP 29.59

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$103.9K CUP 2.5M

-80.11%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$91.7K CUP 2.2M

-74.41%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$46.55 CUP 1,117

82.15%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$17.70 CUP 425

32.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$264 CUP 6,338

-89.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$63.8 CUP 1,531

-10.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$16.92 CUP 406

70.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$1.01 CUP 24.28

408.91%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$200 CUP 4,809

3.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$25.3K CUP 608.4K

-84.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$53.2 CUP 1,277

-18.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$42.35 CUP 1,016

-2.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$90.7 CUP 2,178

-18.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$95.3 CUP 2,286

-6.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$91.4 CUP 2,192

972.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$224 CUP 5,381

69.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$763 CUP 18.3K

123.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$177 CUP 4,242

508.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$382 CUP 9,178

931.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$334 CUP 8,019

1742.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$57.0 CUP 1,369

1187.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.62

32.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Puerto Padre: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Puerto Padre

$224 16.3% 41.1% $157

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Puerto Padre

$393 28.6% 54.1% $138

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Puerto Padre

$202 14.7% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Puerto Padre

$328 23.9% 140% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Puerto Padre

$127 9.2% 13.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Puerto Padre

$66 4.8% 2.2% $1.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Puerto Padre

$35 2.6% 30.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $91 in Puerto Padre. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 13 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $71 in Puerto Padre. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $393 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇺 Puerto Padre

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

10:13 10:13 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

34,086

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.71 CUP (100 CUP = 3.74 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Puerto Padre 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Puerto Padre

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 Puerto Padre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Puerto Padre is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,063 in Puerto Padre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Padre, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $91 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,375 in Puerto Padre. That’s a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,375 in Puerto Padre. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.