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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 11.4% cheaper than Tamarindo without rent, and 31.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 40.5% cheaper than Tamarindo without rent, and 6.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Tamarindo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 MX$210
$11.09 โ‚ก5,499
7.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.90 MX$740
$60.0 โ‚ก29.8K
-30.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.55 MX$186
$9.61 โ‚ก4,763
9.78%
Cappuccino
$3.60 MX$63.5
$3.79 โ‚ก1,881
-5.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 MX$26.45
$1.98 โ‚ก982
-24.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MX$16.09
$1.65 โ‚ก817
-44.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 MX$54.4
$2.95 โ‚ก1,464
4.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 MX$78.8
$4.56 โ‚ก2,262
-1.97%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Tamarindo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 MX$24.54
$2.07 โ‚ก1,024
-32.85%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 MX$33.47
$2.79 โ‚ก1,384
-31.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 MX$28.27
$2.16 โ‚ก1,069
-25.93%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.97
$2.92 โ‚ก1,446
-10.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.36 MX$148
$10.12 โ‚ก5,018
-17.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.64 MX$152
$9.31 โ‚ก4,614
-7.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 MX$192
$13.81 โ‚ก6,848
-21.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 MX$45.98
$4.39 โ‚ก2,176
-40.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$25.46
$1.45 โ‚ก718
-0.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 MX$34.55
$3.12 โ‚ก1,549
-37.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$37.34
$3.55 โ‚ก1,759
-40.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.87
$2.37 โ‚ก1,173
-21.52%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 MX$39.20
$3.05 โ‚ก1,512
-27.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 MX$17.99
$0.98 โ‚ก485
4.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 MX$18.36
$2.94 โ‚ก1,456
-64.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.05 MX$71.5
$4.87 โ‚ก2,416
-16.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 MX$180
$12.26 โ‚ก6,078
-16.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$29.79
$2.43 โ‚ก1,205
-30.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 MX$46.25
$2.91 โ‚ก1,445
-9.97%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Tamarindo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.09
$1.84 โ‚ก914
-72.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.52 MX$468
$56.1 โ‚ก27.8K
-52.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 MX$55.7
$1.81 โ‚ก897
74.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.46 MX$43.49
$1.85 โ‚ก919
32.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 MX$57.5
$5.87 โ‚ก2,913
-44.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$23.36
$1.46 โ‚ก725
-9.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K MX$531.0K
$36.5K โ‚ก18.1M
-17.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$419.3K
$33.2K โ‚ก16.4M
-28.35%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Tamarindo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,474
$95.3 โ‚ก47.2K
-12.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.86 MX$404
$22.16 โ‚ก11.0K
3.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$530
$51.9 โ‚ก25.7K
-42.13%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Tamarindo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.9 MX$916
$98.2 โ‚ก48.7K
-47.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.30 MX$323
$24.34 โ‚ก12.1K
-24.82%
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 MX$90.4
$6.97 โ‚ก3,456
-26.54%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Tamarindo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,541
$529 โ‚ก262.2K
-62.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,318 MX$93.9K
$8,786 โ‚ก4.4M
-39.47%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Tamarindo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.73 MX$631
$61.4 โ‚ก30.4K
-41.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.27 MX$711
$23.73 โ‚ก11.8K
69.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.2 MX$1,398
$110 โ‚ก54.5K
-27.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,576
$109 โ‚ก54.3K
-18.43%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Tamarindo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$947 MX$16.7K
$1,823 โ‚ก903.9K
-48.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$483 MX$8,525
$785 โ‚ก389.1K
-38.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,599 MX$28.2K
$2,991 โ‚ก1.5M
-46.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 MX$21.4K
$880 โ‚ก436.1K
37.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,996 MX$70.5K
$5,320 โ‚ก2.6M
-24.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,402 MX$113.0K
$3,273 โ‚ก1.6M
95.59%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Tamarindo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$730 MX$12.9K
$882 โ‚ก437.2K
-17.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
9
26.89%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Tamarindo: January 10, 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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