Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sucre

For one person, living is cheaper in Sucre: $649 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Sucre
🇧🇴 Bolivia
$649
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $649 in Sucre, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Sucre $649

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $985 in Sucre, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Sucre $985

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,321 in Sucre, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Sucre $1,321

Playa del Carmen costs about 86% more than Sucre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sucre are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Sucre 52% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Sucre
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$1.47 BOB 17.12
631.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$15.31 BOB 178
181.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$3.42 BOB 39.72
244.74%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$1.77 BOB 20.61
118.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$0.77 BOB 8.96
77.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$0.49 BOB 5.74
71.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$2.10 BOB 24.33
47.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$2.13 BOB 24.76
138.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Sucre
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$0.81 BOB 9.44
77.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$1.29 BOB 14.96
72.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$0.92 BOB 10.63
59.78%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$1.28 BOB 14.85
97.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$3.97 BOB 46.13
83.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$2.53 BOB 29.32
210.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$4.44 BOB 51.6
188.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$1.76 BOB 20.45
64.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$0.83 BOB 9.65
73.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$0.74 BOB 8.64
244.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$2.94 BOB 34.12
-29.93%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$0.42 BOB 4.84
376.19%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$0.69 BOB 8.02
191.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$0.28 BOB 3.21
325.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$0.87 BOB 10.11
44.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$1.13 BOB 13.10
289.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$9.46 BOB 110
1.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$1.32 BOB 15.35
20.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Sucre
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$0.17 BOB 2.02
235.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$0.59 BOB 6.81
744.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$0.40 BOB 4.64
775.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$0.72 BOB 8.30
104.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Sucre
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$13.94 BOB 162
504.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$14.84 BOB 172
61.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$21.30 BOB 247
36.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Sucre
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$27.78 BOB 323
126.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$5.32 BOB 61.8
-7.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Sucre
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$101 BOB 1,178
100.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Sucre
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$35.52 BOB 412
22.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$71.8 BOB 834
5.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$66.2 BOB 769
33.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Sucre
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$451 BOB 5,241
123.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$277 BOB 3,218
34.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$755 BOB 8,761
126.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$495 BOB 5,750
123.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Sucre
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
$314 BOB 3,648
140.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
10
14.50%

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 Sucre: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Sucre
$277 25.9% $97
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Sucre
$139 * 46.3% $120
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Sucre
$63 68.8% $139
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Sucre
$50 63.5% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Sucre
$78 * 30.9% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Sucre
$38 47.3% $34
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Sucre
$3.3 * 93.8% $49

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 $451 in Sucre. 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 140% 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 $15.00 in Sucre. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $139 – making Sucre the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇴 Sucre
🕒 Local time
11:12 11:12 AM
12:12 12:12 PM
1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
238,798 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Sucre 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Sucre

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 Sucre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sucre cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 86%, 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 $974 in Sucre. 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 Sucre, 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 Sucre?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $649 in Sucre. That's a gap of about 86%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $101 in Sucre. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Sucre?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sucre, where all-in costs run around $649, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Sucre it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Sucre more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sucre – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Sucre?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Sucre. 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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