Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,138 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,138 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Quetzaltenango $1,138

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,443 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Quetzaltenango $1,443

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,747 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Quetzaltenango $1,747

Playa del Carmen costs about 6% more than Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Quetzaltenango are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Quetzaltenango 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.77 Q 51.7

61.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$50.9 Q 389

-14.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.68 Q 58.7

53.39%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.36 Q 25.69

13.39%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.10 Q 8.40

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.97 Q 7.44

-19.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.33 Q 25.45

-4.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.62 Q 35.27

6.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.10 Q 16.01

-32.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.57 Q 19.64

-13.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.05 Q 15.69

-30.73%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.36 Q 18.05

6.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$6.37 Q 48.69

13.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.92 Q 60.5

-2.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.09 Q 100

-3.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.96 Q 22.58

-6.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.72 Q 13.14

-20.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.92 Q 22.34

-12.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.60 Q 12.20

32.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.54 Q 11.73

25.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.20 Q 16.79

-14.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.74 Q 5.65

55.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.16 Q 8.90

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$3.35 Q 25.61

28.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.04 Q 61.5

23.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.78 Q 13.57

-11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.60 Q 19.84

2.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$5.12 Q 39.12

-2.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.72 Q 13.16

93.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$10.34 Q 79.0

-48.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.33 Q 10.14

8.27%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$27.6K Q 210.6K

-25.03%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$25.8K Q 197.5K

-9.21%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$72.2 Q 551

17.50%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$12.97 Q 99.1

80.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$46.36 Q 354

-38.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$33.27 Q 254

71.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$6.34 Q 48.46

-18.93%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$342 Q 2,613

-39.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$6,808 Q 52.0K

-42.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$48.78 Q 373

-11.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$47.81 Q 365

-13.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$110 Q 839

-32.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$112 Q 853

-20.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$399 Q 3,052

145.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$389 Q 2,971

-2.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.62

-1.46%

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 Quetzaltenango: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Quetzaltenango

$389 34.2% 2.1% $8

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Quetzaltenango

$263 23.1% 3.3% $8.4

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3% 25% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Quetzaltenango

$131 11.6% 3.9% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Quetzaltenango

$143 12.6% 28.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 31.7% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 72.8% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $399 in Quetzaltenango. 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 $51 in Quetzaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $263 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

500,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Quetzaltenango 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Quetzaltenango

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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 6%, 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 $1,707 in Quetzaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetzaltenango, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $399 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,138 in Quetzaltenango. That makes Quetzaltenango about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $342 in Quetzaltenango. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,138 in Quetzaltenango. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,138 in Quetzaltenango to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.