Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Penasco

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Puerto Penasco: $1,204 and $1,205 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Penasco
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Puerto Penasco Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Puerto Penasco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,205

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,205 in Puerto Penasco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Puerto Penasco $1,205

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,921 in Puerto Penasco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Puerto Penasco $1,921

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,638 in Puerto Penasco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Puerto Penasco $2,638

Playa del Carmen and Puerto Penasco have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$12.28 MX$227

-11.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$44.08 MX$814

0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.65 MX$160

35.95%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.66 MX$86.2

-21.03%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.41 MX$26.04

-4.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.03 MX$19.09

-20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.50 MX$46.15

22.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.92 MX$72.5

26.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.57 MX$28.93

-6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.01 MX$55.6

-26.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.72 MX$31.83

-13.95%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.02 MX$55.8

-17.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$4.78 MX$88.4

57.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$10.73 MX$198

-25.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.46 MX$175

32.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.32 MX$79.9

-35.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.91 MX$35.29

-25.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.07 MX$56.7

-14.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.10 MX$38.82

1.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.93 MX$35.60

4.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.00 MX$36.97

-0.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.46 MX$27.00

-21.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.55 MX$28.58

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.39 MX$81.1

-2.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$13.62 MX$252

-26.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.56 MX$28.84

-1.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.50 MX$27.65

77.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.63 MX$11.72

-15.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.14 MX$39.60

128.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.96 MX$54.7

15.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$10.94 MX$202

-50.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.40 MX$25.79

3.57%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$20.9K MX$386.8K

1.08%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$24.4K MX$451.5K

-5.80%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$70.4 MX$1,302

21.20%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$12.65 MX$234

85.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$42.57 MX$787

-33.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$33.27 MX$615

86.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$19.79 MX$366

44.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.32 MX$98.3

-4.14%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$223 MX$4,112

-9.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$4,550 MX$84.1K

-13.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$54.1 MX$1,000

-17.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$41.03 MX$758

0.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$100 MX$1,852

-27.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$90.5 MX$1,673

-0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$527 MX$9,747

85.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$388 MX$7,161

-3.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$916 MX$16.9K

83.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$757 MX$14.0K

44.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,900 MX$35.1K

107.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,149 MX$21.2K

434.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$583 MX$10.8K

26.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.55

8.53%

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 Puerto Penasco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Puerto Penasco

$388 32.2% 4% $15

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Puerto Penasco

$289 24% 11.9% $31

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Puerto Penasco

$210 17.5% 5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Puerto Penasco

$126 10.4% 8.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Puerto Penasco

$129 10.7% 15.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Puerto Penasco

$44 3.6% 39.4% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Puerto Penasco

$19 * 1.6% 62.3% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $527 in Puerto Penasco. 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 27% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $44.00 in Puerto Penasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $289 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Puerto Penasco

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

56,756

💱 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Puerto Penasco 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Puerto Penasco

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 Penasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,807 in Puerto Penasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $44.00 in Puerto Penasco. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $223 in Puerto Penasco. 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 $1,204, than in Puerto Penasco at $1,205. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puerto Penasco 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Puerto Penasco makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.