Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

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

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,144 in Side, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Side $1,144

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,790 in Side, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Side $1,790

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,435 in Side, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Side $2,435

Playa del Carmen costs about 5% more than Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$10.26 ₺511

6.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$29.76 ₺1,483

45.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$9.45 ₺471

24.66%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.44 ₺171

10.76%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.19 ₺109

-41.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.39 ₺19.48

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$4.01 ₺200

-20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$6.07 ₺303

-18.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.07 ₺53.1

31.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.97 ₺48.33

128.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.61 ₺130

-45.59%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.29 ₺114

10.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$13.70 ₺683

-47.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.16 ₺307

25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$26.79 ₺1,335

-52.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.57 ₺78.2

77.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.46 ₺123

-44.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.39 ₺69.1

83.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.27 ₺63.5

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.79 ₺39.51

145.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.71 ₺35.38

166.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.74 ₺87.0

-33.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.76 ₺37.63

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.78 ₺139

54.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$13.85 ₺690

-28.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.69 ₺84.1

-6.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.13 ₺156

-14.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.69 ₺34.55

-20.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.24 ₺61.7

300.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.00 ₺49.64

233.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.69 ₺333

-19.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.51 ₺75.2

-4.64%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$42.1K ₺2.1M

-50.91%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$38.2K ₺1.9M

-38.65%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$76.7 ₺3,824

10.52%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$10.57 ₺527

121.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$23.12 ₺1,152

23.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$52.8 ₺2,632

8.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$8.06 ₺402

-36.23%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$507 ₺25.3K

-59.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.9K ₺544.1K

-64.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$46.20 ₺2,302

-6.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$58.9 ₺2,937

-29.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$157 ₺7,812

-52.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$117 ₺5,842

-23.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$420 ₺20.9K

133.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$302 ₺15.1K

25.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$761 ₺37.9K

124.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$573 ₺28.5K

87.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,431 ₺71.3K

175.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,018 ₺50.7K

505.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

38.25

-70.07%

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 Side: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Side

$302 26.4% 20.6% $78

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Side

$289 25.3% 13.4% $34

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Side

$194 17% 4% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Side

$110 9.7% 19.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Side

$171 14.9% 52.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Side

$69 6% 2.4% $1.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Side

$9 * 0.8% 82.2% $41

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 $420 in Side. 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 $30 in Side. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $289 in Side – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

12,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Side 10,940 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,717 in Side. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Side, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,144 in Side. That’s a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $507 in Side. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,144 in Side, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,144 in Side to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.