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 28.3% cheaper than Punta del Este without rent, and 39.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 35.9% cheaper than Punta del Este without rent, and 33.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$18.67 UYU 748
-37.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$51.3 UYU 2,055
-16.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$11.27 UYU 452
-5.94%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$4.63 UYU 185
-22.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$3.61 UYU 145
-59.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$2.75 UYU 110
-67.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$3.61 UYU 145
-16.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$4.75 UYU 190
-4.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.30 UYU 52.0
11.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$2.39 UYU 95.7
-23.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$2.27 UYU 90.9
-29.07%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$4.00 UYU 160
-36.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$13.50 UYU 541
-36.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$13.05 UYU 523
-35.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$12.86 UYU 515
-15.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$3.21 UYU 129
-14.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$3.47 UYU 139
-57.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$2.10 UYU 84.1
-7.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$3.44 UYU 138
-37.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$2.16 UYU 86.6
-14.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$2.02 UYU 81.1
8.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.30 UYU 52.3
-17.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.93 UYU 77.3
-44.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$4.76 UYU 191
-14.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$8.66 UYU 347
20.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$3.22 UYU 129
-48.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$5.18 UYU 208
-50.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$1.37 UYU 54.9
-59.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$48.43 UYU 1,941
-45.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$3.61 UYU 145
-34.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$13.58 UYU 544
-76.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.87 UYU 74.8
-29.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$29.9K UYU 1.2M
2.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$34.8K UYU 1.4M
-31.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$96.1 UYU 3,851
-13.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$15.71 UYU 630
40.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$40.34 UYU 1,617
-27.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$77.5 UYU 3,106
-33.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$24.43 UYU 979
-23.50%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$9.89 UYU 396
-50.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$621 UYU 24.9K
-67.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$7,571 UYU 303.4K
-31.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$122 UYU 4,892
-70.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$65.4 UYU 2,622
-39.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$142 UYU 5,697
-43.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$146 UYU 5,848
-40.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$1,154 UYU 46.2K
-16.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$875 UYU 35.1K
-44.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$2,484 UYU 99.5K
-33.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$1,875 UYU 75.1K
-36.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$4,004 UYU 160.5K
-1.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Punta del Este
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$906 UYU 36.3K
-19.84%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Punta del Este: April 11, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities