Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Quevedo

For one person, living is cheaper in Quevedo: $838 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Quevedo
Learn more

Quevedo Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Quevedo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $838 in Quevedo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Quevedo $838

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,430 in Quevedo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Quevedo $1,430

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,022 in Quevedo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Quevedo $2,022

Playa del Carmen costs about 44% more than Quevedo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Quevedo are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Quevedo 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.08 $6.08

78.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$54.2 $54.2

-18.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.52 $7.52

56.38%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.30 $3.30

11.52%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.43 $1.43

-6.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.15 $1.15

-28.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.60 $3.60

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$5.87 $5.87

-15.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.16 $1.16

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.55 $1.55

43.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.51 $1.51

-1.99%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.17 $2.17

14.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$6.25 $6.25

20.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.61 $5.61

41.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.64 $7.64

64.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.20 $2.20

26.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.24 $1.24

15.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.26 $1.26

107.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.10 $1.10

94.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.19 $1.19

69.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.07 $1.07

85.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.91 $0.91

25.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.02 $1.02

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$5.96 $5.96

-28.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.08 $10.08

-0.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.58 $1.58

-2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.21 $3.21

-17.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.34 $0.34

55.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$17.86 $17.86

54.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.48 $1.48

231.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.46 $1.46

134.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$9.96 $9.96

-45.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.80 $0.80

81.25%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$20.9K $20.9K

1.37%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$28.6K $28.6K

-19.47%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$28.70 $28.70

197.42%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$17.91 $17.91

30.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$28.60 $28.60

-0.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$29.98 $29.98

107.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$16.22 $16.22

76.82%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.55 $6.55

-22.14%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$232 $232

-13.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$9,102 $9,102

-56.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$68.9 $68.9

-35.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$49.13 $49.13

-15.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$116 $116

-37.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$107 $107

-15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$297 $297

229.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$191 $191

95.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$728 $728

130.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$419 $419

161.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,201 $1,201

228.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$780 $780

686.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.12

13.14%

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 Quevedo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Quevedo

$191 22.8% 48.8% $182

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Quevedo

$197 23.5% 23.9% $62

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Quevedo

$151 18% 24.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Quevedo

$75 9% 45.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Quevedo

$154 18.3% 37.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Quevedo

$43 5.1% 40.5% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Quevedo

$28 3.3% 45.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $297 in Quevedo. 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $54.0 in Quevedo. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $197 in Quevedo – so Quevedo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Quevedo

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

300,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Quevedo 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Quevedo

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 Quevedo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 44%, 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 $1,257 in Quevedo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quevedo, 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 $838 in Quevedo. That's a gap of about 44%.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Quevedo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Quevedo, where all-in costs run around $838, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Quevedo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quevedo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Quevedo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.