Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tehuacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,258 in Tehuacan, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tehuacan, Mexico
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Tehuacan
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,258
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,258 in Tehuacan, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Tehuacan $1,258

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,956 in Tehuacan, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Tehuacan $1,956

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,654 in Tehuacan, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Tehuacan $2,654

Playa del Carmen is about 4% cheaper than Tehuacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tehuacan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Tehuacan 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Tehuacan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$10.80 MX$201
-1.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$42.68 MX$794
2.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$8.87 MX$165
32.92%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.11 MX$57.9
21.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.25 MX$23.17
4.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.82 MX$15.18
1.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$2.19 MX$40.70
43.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$3.46 MX$64.4
42.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Tehuacan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.72 MX$32.02
-18.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$3.16 MX$58.7
-30.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$2.17 MX$40.44
-32.26%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$3.12 MX$58.1
-19.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$7.76 MX$145
-6.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$8.14 MX$151
-2.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$8.92 MX$166
44.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$4.18 MX$77.8
-30.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.03 MX$37.73
-32.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$2.25 MX$41.79
10.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$2.34 MX$43.54
-13.25%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$2.92 MX$54.3
-30.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$2.30 MX$42.79
-17.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.65 MX$30.64
-30.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$1.05 MX$19.46
18.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$5.18 MX$96.3
-17.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$12.16 MX$226
-19.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$2.00 MX$37.25
-20.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$3.70 MX$68.9
-25.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Tehuacan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$0.63 MX$11.74
-19.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$30.01 MX$559
-8.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$3.18 MX$59.2
49.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$2.04 MX$37.99
59.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$10.26 MX$191
-47.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.26 MX$23.53
21.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$23.7K MX$441.8K
-10.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$22.7K MX$421.6K
2.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Tehuacan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$56.0 MX$1,041
49.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$25.34 MX$472
-8.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$31.61 MX$588
-12.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Tehuacan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$31.72 MX$590
77.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$20.01 MX$372
40.88%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$6.85 MX$128
-27.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Tehuacan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$226 MX$4,214
-8.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$5,163 MX$96.1K
1.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Tehuacan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$65.3 MX$1,215
-33.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$53.8 MX$1,000
-20.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$102 MX$1,897
-28.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$106 MX$1,981
-16.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Tehuacan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$606 MX$11.3K
64.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$441 MX$8,207
-13.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$1,036 MX$19.3K
61.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$754 MX$14.0K
43.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$1,915 MX$35.6K
104.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$1,116 MX$20.8K
450.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Tehuacan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
11.07
3.43%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tehuacan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Tehuacan
$441 15.3% $59
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Tehuacan
$289 12.1% $31
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Tehuacan
$176 11.9% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Tehuacan
$113 15.9% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Tehuacan
$147 32.5% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Tehuacan
$45 31.6% $21
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Tehuacan
$46 9% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $606 in Tehuacan. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $43 in Tehuacan. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $289 in Tehuacan – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Tehuacan
🕒 Local time
18:13 6:13 PM
17:13 5:13 PM
1 h behind Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
293,825
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Tehuacan 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Tehuacan

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 Tehuacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Tehuacan?
Yes – Tehuacan is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,887 in Tehuacan. 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 Tehuacan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $606 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Tehuacan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,258 in Tehuacan. That makes Playa del Carmen about 4% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $226 in Tehuacan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Tehuacan?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,258 in Tehuacan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Tehuacan?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,258 in Tehuacan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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