Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Reynosa

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Reynosa: $1,210 and $1,183 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Reynosa
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,183
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,183 in Reynosa, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Reynosa $1,183

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,784 in Reynosa, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Reynosa $1,784

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,386 in Reynosa, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Reynosa $2,386

Playa del Carmen costs about 2% more than Reynosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Reynosa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Reynosa 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Reynosa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$10.82 MX$200
-0.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$33.95 MX$627
26.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$5.72 MX$106
106.12%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$3.50 MX$64.6
10.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$0.96 MX$17.75
42.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$0.57 MX$10.52
47.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$1.37 MX$25.31
126.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$1.96 MX$36.20
158.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Reynosa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$1.53 MX$28.23
-5.88%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$2.24 MX$41.37
-0.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.18 MX$21.85
24.58%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$1.84 MX$34.00
37.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$8.89 MX$164
-17.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$6.28 MX$116
25.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$9.90 MX$183
29.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$2.25 MX$41.50
28.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$1.14 MX$21.13
26.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$2.67 MX$49.40
-4.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$1.34 MX$24.84
53.73%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$1.73 MX$31.97
15.61%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$2.54 MX$46.86
-20.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$1.43 MX$26.49
-16.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$1.01 MX$18.67
24.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$3.95 MX$73.1
11.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$10.38 MX$192
-7.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$1.74 MX$32.17
-8.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$1.61 MX$29.71
74.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Reynosa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$0.69 MX$12.73
-17.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$2.55 MX$47.19
95.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$1.94 MX$35.87
80.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
$10.76 MX$199
-49.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$1.26 MX$23.28
16.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
$19.0K MX$352.0K
10.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
$23.4K MX$431.7K
2.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Reynosa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$48.27 MX$892
74.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$11.00 MX$203
118.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$29.64 MX$548
-2.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Reynosa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$33.79 MX$624
86.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
$21.47 MX$397
35.72%
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$4.95 MX$91.5
-0.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Reynosa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$163 MX$3,012
24.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$2,612 MX$48.3K
50.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Reynosa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$56.0 MX$1,034
-22.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
$57.6 MX$1,064
-25.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$84.5 MX$1,562
-10.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$126 MX$2,330
-29.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Reynosa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$608 MX$11.2K
65.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$493 MX$9,109
-24.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$1,030 MX$19.0K
65.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$781 MX$14.4K
41.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
$1,885 MX$34.8K
109.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
$1,033 MX$19.1K
497.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Reynosa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
$607 MX$11.2K
24.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
10.53
8.74%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Reynosa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Reynosa
$493 31.8% $119
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Reynosa
$234 9.5% $25
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Reynosa
$163 19.6% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Reynosa
$89 35.2% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Reynosa
$146 29.1% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Reynosa
$44 40% $29
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Reynosa
$15 * 71.4% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $608 in Reynosa. 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 24% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $34.00 in Reynosa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $234 – making Reynosa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Reynosa
🕒 Local time
20:21 8:21 PM
20:21 8:21 PM
Same time as Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
691,557
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Reynosa 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Reynosa

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 Reynosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Reynosa cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,774 in Reynosa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Reynosa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Reynosa?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,183 in Reynosa. That's a gap of about 2%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $163 in Reynosa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Reynosa?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Reynosa, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Reynosa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Reynosa more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Reynosa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Reynosa. 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.

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