Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Side Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Side

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 14% more expensive than Side without rent, and 19.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 20.4% more expensive than Side without rent, and 38.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Side
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$7.83 ₺346
51.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$22.74 ₺1,005
85.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$6.21 ₺274
73.11%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.69 ₺119
29.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$1.76 ₺77.6
-17.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.46 ₺20.42
95.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$3.13 ₺138
-2.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$4.04 ₺178
9.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Side
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$0.84 ₺36.98
63.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$0.98 ₺43.35
90.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$0.92 ₺40.52
67.39%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$1.73 ₺76.2
44.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$8.06 ₺356
6.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$5.33 ₺236
61.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$16.51 ₺730
-33.25%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$1.01 ₺44.62
172.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$2.05 ₺90.7
-30.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$0.73 ₺32.11
156.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.10 ₺48.63
97.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$0.57 ₺24.98
229.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$0.45 ₺19.94
400.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$1.32 ₺58.4
-18.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.31 ₺13.88
245.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$2.04 ₺90.3
103.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$9.03 ₺399
14.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.70 ₺75.2
-1.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.13 ₺94.1
16.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Side
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.66 ₺29.35
-16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$30.33 ₺1,340
-12.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$1.09 ₺48.35
195.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.66 ₺29.00
275.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$7.58 ₺335
-58.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.15 ₺50.9
9.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$40.3K ₺1.8M
-23.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$41.0K ₺1.8M
-41.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Side
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$48.32 ₺2,135
70.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$7.80 ₺345
185.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$6.41 ₺283
368.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Side
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$43.56 ₺1,925
18.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$6.46 ₺285
-22.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Side
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$615 ₺27.2K
-67.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$8,809 ₺389.2K
-39.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Side
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$75.1 ₺3,318
-52.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$45.76 ₺2,022
-13.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$158 ₺6,993
-49.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$113 ₺4,975
-21.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Side
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$510 ₺22.5K
90.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$389 ₺17.2K
24.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$874 ₺38.6K
82.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$719 ₺31.8K
64.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$1,564 ₺69.1K
159.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$965 ₺42.6K
575.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Side
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
20
-42.90%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Side: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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