Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tena

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $891 in Tena, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Tena $891

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,475 in Tena, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tena $1,475

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,060 in Tena, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Tena $2,060

Playa del Carmen costs about 35% more than Tena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tena are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Tena 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$5.63 $5.63

89.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$54.8 $54.8

-20.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.58 $7.58

55.54%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$3.34 $3.34

13.47%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$1.43 $1.43

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$1.05 $1.05

-20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$3.43 $3.43

-8.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$6.12 $6.12

-19.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.14 $1.14

23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$1.60 $1.60

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$1.51 $1.51

-2.65%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$2.08 $2.08

20.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$6.51 $6.51

11.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.42 $5.42

46.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.67 $7.67

67.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.33 $2.33

24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$1.22 $1.22

13.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$1.27 $1.27

96.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$1.13 $1.13

79.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$1.19 $1.19

69.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$1.08 $1.08

75.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$0.87 $0.87

31.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$1.00 $1.00

24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$5.93 $5.93

-27.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$8.27 $8.27

18.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

$1.58 $1.58

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$3.10 $3.10

-11.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.33 $0.33

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$1.53 $1.53

211.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$0.75 $0.75

333.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$9.91 $9.91

-45.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$0.86 $0.86

77.91%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$23.4K $23.4K

-9.28%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$30.1K $30.1K

-22.71%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$28.50 $28.50

192.95%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$17.84 $17.84

29.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$28.34 $28.34

-2.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$29.89 $29.89

88.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

$16.69 $16.69

68.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$6.50 $6.50

-23.08%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$729 $729

-71.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$9,064 $9,064

-42.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$71.3 $71.3

-39.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$50.4 $50.4

-15.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$116 $116

-37.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$109 $109

-19.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$422 $422

135.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$270 $270

41.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$802 $802

108.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$507 $507

113.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.12

13.14%

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 Tena: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Tena

$270 30.4% 29.3% $112

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Tena

$193 21.7% 25% $64

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Tena

$147 16.5% 26.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Tena

$75 8.4% 44.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Tena

$156 17.5% 40.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Tena

$43 4.8% 35.4% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7% 86.9% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $422 in Tena. 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 $55 in Tena. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $193 in Tena – so Tena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Tena

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

16,669

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tena 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tena

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 Tena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,336 in Tena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $891 in Tena. That makes Tena about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $729 in Tena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tena, where all-in costs run around $891, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Tena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $891 in Tena to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.