Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Soledad

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,285 in Soledad, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Soledad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Soledad
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Soledad Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Soledad

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,285 in Soledad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Soledad $1,285

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,009 in Soledad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Soledad $2,009

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,733 in Soledad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Soledad $2,733

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper than Soledad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Soledad are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Soledad 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$5.68 COP 18.0K

91.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$42.72 COP 135.5K

3.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.11 COP 32.1K

16.32%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.56 COP 8,125

43.75%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.59 COP 8,209

-48.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$2.36 COP 7,472

-65.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.19 COP 10.1K

-4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$5.12 COP 16.2K

-3.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.85 COP 5,855

-20.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.77 COP 8,797

-19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.42 COP 4,515

4.23%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$4.86 COP 15.4K

-48.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.12 COP 25.7K

-7.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.73 COP 30.8K

-18.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$12.04 COP 38.2K

4.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.44 COP 10.9K

-19.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.44 COP 4,557

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.91 COP 6,044

37.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.87 COP 5,924

14.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.48 COP 4,696

36.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.45 COP 4,582

37.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.15 COP 3,639

-0.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.20 COP 3,821

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.80 COP 12.0K

12.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$14.20 COP 45.0K

-29.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.42 COP 4,510

8.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.43 COP 7,693

9.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.13 COP 3,580

-53.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.58 COP 4,996

210.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$3.77 COP 11.9K

-9.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$9.62 COP 30.5K

-44.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.29 COP 4,076

12.40%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$23.1K COP 73.2M

-8.35%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$34.5K COP 109.3M

-33.24%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$79.3 COP 251.6K

7.59%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$13.19 COP 41.8K

77.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$29.39 COP 93.2K

-3.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$37.82 COP 119.9K

64.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-38.55%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$625 COP 2.0M

-67.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$5,862 COP 18.6M

-32.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$83.4 COP 264.3K

-46.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$54.8 COP 173.7K

-24.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$136 COP 432.3K

-46.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$104 COP 329.1K

-13.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$639 COP 2.0M

53.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$471 COP 1.5M

-20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,006 COP 3.2M

67.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$884 COP 2.8M

23.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,957 COP 6.2M

101.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,665 COP 5.3M

268.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-23.67%

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 Soledad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Soledad

$471 36.7% 26.5% $99

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Soledad

$290 22.6% 12.2% $32

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Soledad

$153 11.9% 23.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Soledad

$122 9.5% 11.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Soledad

$170 13.2% 52.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Soledad

$54 4.2% 24.8% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Soledad

$25 * 1.9% 51.8% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $639 in Soledad. 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 $43.00 in Soledad. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $290 in Soledad – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇴 Soledad

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

582,156

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Soledad 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Soledad

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 Soledad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Soledad is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,928 in Soledad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,285 in Soledad. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $625 in Soledad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Soledad at $1,285. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Soledad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Soledad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.