Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Punta del Este Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Punta del Este

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 25.8% cheaper than Punta del Este without rent, and 39.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 35.1% cheaper than Punta del Este without rent, and 34.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$18.60 UYU 717
-36.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$51.4 UYU 1,979
-17.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$11.43 UYU 440
-5.95%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$4.42 UYU 170
-21.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$3.64 UYU 140
-60.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$2.63 UYU 101
-65.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$3.80 UYU 146
-19.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$4.77 UYU 184
-7.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.28 UYU 49.47
7.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$2.36 UYU 90.8
-20.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$2.26 UYU 87.2
-31.86%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$3.84 UYU 148
-34.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$13.63 UYU 525
-36.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$12.81 UYU 494
-32.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$12.80 UYU 493
-13.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$3.10 UYU 119
-11.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$3.65 UYU 141
-60.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$2.07 UYU 79.6
-9.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$3.54 UYU 136
-38.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$2.16 UYU 83.2
-12.96%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$2.02 UYU 78.0
11.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$1.26 UYU 48.45
-15.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$1.92 UYU 74.1
-44.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$4.84 UYU 186
-14.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$9.18 UYU 354
12.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$3.33 UYU 128
-49.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$4.97 UYU 192
-50.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
$1.34 UYU 51.8
-58.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
$48.55 UYU 1,870
-45.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
$3.43 UYU 132
-27.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
$13.31 UYU 513
-76.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$1.92 UYU 73.9
-34.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$29.4K UYU 1.1M
4.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$34.4K UYU 1.3M
-30.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$96.2 UYU 3,704
-14.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$16.24 UYU 626
37.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$39.53 UYU 1,523
-24.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
$78.5 UYU 3,023
-34.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
$24.08 UYU 927
-24.04%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$9.50 UYU 366
-47.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$611 UYU 23.6K
-67.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$7,603 UYU 292.9K
-30.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$125 UYU 4,823
-71.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$64.7 UYU 2,491
-38.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$146 UYU 5,606
-44.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$148 UYU 5,718
-40.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
$1,118 UYU 43.1K
-13.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
$894 UYU 34.4K
-46.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$2,464 UYU 94.9K
-35.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$1,882 UYU 72.5K
-37.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
$942 UYU 36.3K
-19.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5
128.40%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Punta del Este: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities