Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,405 in Queretaro, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
Learn more

Queretaro Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,405 in Queretaro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Queretaro $1,405

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,147 in Queretaro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Queretaro $2,147

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,890 in Queretaro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Queretaro $2,890

Playa del Carmen is about 14% cheaper than Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Queretaro is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$10.88 MX$201

-0.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$63.9 MX$1,180

-30.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$9.53 MX$176

23.40%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.56 MX$65.9

3.37%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.63 MX$30.11

-17.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.08 MX$20.00

-24.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.24 MX$59.8

-5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$5.37 MX$99.3

-8.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.85 MX$34.25

-20.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.74 MX$50.7

-18.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.98 MX$36.55

-25.25%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.67 MX$49.30

-6.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.53 MX$158

-11.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.57 MX$158

-7.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$13.64 MX$252

-7.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.36 MX$62.0

-17.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.62 MX$29.94

-11.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.12 MX$39.10

23.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.88 MX$34.71

13.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.76 MX$32.60

14.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.73 MX$32.01

15.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.53 MX$28.24

-25.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.17 MX$21.68

2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.45 MX$82.2

-4.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$17.78 MX$329

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.11 MX$38.92

-27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.94 MX$72.8

-32.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.59 MX$10.89

-10.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$24.82 MX$459

10.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.21 MX$59.4

52.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.54 MX$46.88

35.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$10.77 MX$199

-50.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.55 MX$28.64

-6.45%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$24.3K MX$449.9K

-13.09%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$23.1K MX$427.0K

-0.38%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$56.6 MX$1,046

50.84%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$26.72 MX$494

-12.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$24.98 MX$462

13.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$55.5 MX$1,026

11.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$24.62 MX$455

16.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.25 MX$134

-29.66%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$260 MX$4,795

-22.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$5,015 MX$92.7K

-21.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$52.8 MX$976

-15.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$44.61 MX$824

-7.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$99.3 MX$1,836

-26.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$95.7 MX$1,769

-6.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$854 MX$15.8K

14.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$554 MX$10.2K

-32.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,417 MX$26.2K

18.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$819 MX$15.1K

33.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,176 MX$40.2K

81.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,246 MX$23.0K

392.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$929 MX$17.2K

-20.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.99

-4.50%

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 Queretaro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Queretaro

$554 39.5% 48.7% $181

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Queretaro

$301 21.4% 16.6% $43

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Queretaro

$196 14% 2% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Queretaro

$108 7.7% 21.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Queretaro

$132 9.4% 17.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Queretaro

$70 5% 3.3% $2.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Queretaro

$43 3.1% 16.7% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $854 in Queretaro. 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 26% higher in Queretaro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $64.0 in Queretaro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $301 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

08:54 8:54 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

804,663

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Queretaro 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Queretaro

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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Queretaro is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,107 in Queretaro. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,405 in Queretaro. That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Queretaro at $1,405. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Queretaro 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, Queretaro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.