Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rosarito

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Rosarito: $1,215 and $1,173 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Rosarito
Learn more

Rosarito Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Rosarito

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,173 in Rosarito, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Rosarito $1,173

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,900 in Rosarito, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Rosarito $1,900

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,628 in Rosarito, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Rosarito $2,628

Playa del Carmen costs about 4% more than Rosarito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rosarito are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Rosarito 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$12.41 MX$228

-11.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$34.87 MX$640

28.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$9.82 MX$180

21.38%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.26 MX$78.2

-10.80%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.37 MX$25.20

-4.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.24 MX$22.83

-30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$3.42 MX$62.7

-6.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$6.57 MX$121

-23.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.80 MX$33.03

-18.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$3.01 MX$55.3

-22.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.76 MX$32.27

-18.18%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$3.31 MX$60.7

-25.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$8.34 MX$153

-7.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$7.32 MX$134

7.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$11.88 MX$218

7.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.86 MX$52.5

2.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.68 MX$30.79

-15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.91 MX$35.02

34.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.65 MX$30.30

29.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.58 MX$28.93

23.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.91 MX$35.07

1.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.47 MX$27.08

-21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.07 MX$19.73

14.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$4.37 MX$80.2

0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$8.20 MX$151

20.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$2.30 MX$42.15

-33.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$4.11 MX$75.5

-33.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.66 MX$12.11

-21.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$3.00 MX$55.2

63.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$2.28 MX$41.84

54.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$11.05 MX$203

-48.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.31 MX$24.12

17.56%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$21.2K MX$389.6K

0.09%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$24.4K MX$448.8K

0.17%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$48.34 MX$887

72.96%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$34.02 MX$625

-29.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$29.93 MX$550

-2.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$35.33 MX$649

83.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$20.08 MX$369

46.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$6.88 MX$126

-26.02%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$210 MX$3,849

-0.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$4,684 MX$86.0K

-13.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$54.5 MX$1,000

-18.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$46.77 MX$859

-10.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$104 MX$1,901

-27.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$69.5 MX$1,277

31.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$624 MX$11.5K

58.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$396 MX$7,274

-2.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,036 MX$19.0K

65.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$776 MX$14.2K

42.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$1,894 MX$34.8K

112.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,146 MX$21.0K

445.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.07

-5.14%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rosarito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Rosarito

$396 33.4% 2.9% $11

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Rosarito

$269 22.7% 3.5% $9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Rosarito

$220 18.6% 8.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Rosarito

$112 9.5% 18% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Rosarito

$123 10.4% 8.2% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Rosarito

$49 4.1% 34.6% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Rosarito

$17 * 1.4% 67.3% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $624 in Rosarito. 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $35.00 in Rosarito. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $269 in Rosarito – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Rosarito

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

100,660

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rosarito 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rosarito

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 Rosarito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,759 in Rosarito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rosarito, 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 $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,173 in Rosarito. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in Playa del Carmen and $210 in Rosarito. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rosarito, where all-in costs run around $1,173, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Rosarito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rosarito – 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 Rosarito. 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.