Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Quellón

For one person, living is cheaper in Quellón: $556 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Quellón

🇨🇱 Chile

$556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $556 in Quellón, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Quellón $556

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $936 in Quellón, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Quellón $936

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,316 in Quellón, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Quellón $1,316

Playa del Carmen costs about 117% more than Quellón, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Quellón are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Quellón 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$50.3 CLP 49.6K

-13.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.54 CLP 2,513

50.00%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.23 CLP 1,218

4.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.82 CLP 814

-4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.07 CLP 3,030

3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.11 CLP 3,076

58.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.20 CLP 1,182

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.04 CLP 1,025

113.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.98 CLP 1,955

-28.28%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.75 CLP 2,717

-8.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$5.97 CLP 5,894

21.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.80 CLP 1,774

54.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.19 CLP 2,159

-37.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.49 CLP 3,451

-26.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.77 CLP 1,750

19.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.03 CLP 1,016

88.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.07 CLP 2,046

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.99 CLP 975

16.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.99 CLP 1,968

-40.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$9.15 CLP 9,038

8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.83 CLP 2,791

-44.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.78 CLP 1,756

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.47 CLP 464

17.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.99 CLP 2,950

66.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.35 CLP 1,328

6.67%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

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

$23.41 MX$436

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$30.00 CLP 29.6K

-4.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$50.7 CLP 50.1K

12.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

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

$207 MX$3,848

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$25.72 CLP 25.4K

68.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$50.7 CLP 50.1K

46.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$256 CLP 252.4K

283.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$200 CLP 197.9K

90.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$409 CLP 403.9K

317.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$356 CLP 351.6K

201.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Quellón: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Quellón

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Quellón

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Quellón

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Quellón

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Quellón

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Quellón

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Quellón

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $256 in Quellón. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $50 in Quellón. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $175 in Quellón – so Quellón wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇱 Quellón

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

06:00 6:00 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,552

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.13 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 987 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,102 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Quellón 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Quellón

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 Quellón: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 117%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $834 in Quellón. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quellón, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $50 in Quellón. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Quellón, where all-in costs run around $556, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Quellón it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $556 in Quellón to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.