Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tepic

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Tepic: $1,204 and $1,221 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,221 in Tepic, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tepic $1,221

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,884 in Tepic, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tepic $1,884

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,548 in Tepic, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Tepic $2,548

Playa del Carmen is about 1% cheaper than Tepic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tepic are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Tepic 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$13.22 MX$247

-17.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$43.16 MX$806

0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$9.03 MX$169

30.45%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$3.17 MX$59.2

20.19%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$1.58 MX$29.49

-18.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$1.14 MX$21.28

-31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$2.70 MX$50.5

17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$4.98 MX$93.1

-1.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$1.55 MX$29.02

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$2.35 MX$43.97

-5.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$1.57 MX$29.42

-9.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$2.12 MX$39.62

18.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$4.91 MX$91.8

47.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.69 MX$181

-20.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$11.54 MX$216

9.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$2.68 MX$50.0

3.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$1.54 MX$28.77

-11.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$1.94 MX$36.20

31.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$1.76 MX$32.93

20.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$2.06 MX$38.56

-5.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$1.84 MX$34.44

2.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$1.56 MX$29.12

-26.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$1.04 MX$19.39

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$4.36 MX$81.5

-1.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$10.38 MX$194

-4.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$0.78 MX$14.51

102.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$3.34 MX$62.5

-20.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$0.77 MX$14.42

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

$30.37 MX$567

-12.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$2.19 MX$40.99

126.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$1.51 MX$28.22

120.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$9.30 MX$174

-42.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.40 MX$26.24

2.86%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$21.2K MX$395.5K

-2.36%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$23.7K MX$442.9K

-0.99%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$43.90 MX$820

93.14%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$12.02 MX$225

94.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$29.28 MX$547

-2.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$31.78 MX$594

79.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

$17.42 MX$326

65.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$5.92 MX$111

-13.18%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$237 MX$4,426

-12.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$9,948 MX$185.9K

-60.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$56.1 MX$1,049

-22.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$40.24 MX$752

2.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$104 MX$1,944

-28.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$78.6 MX$1,469

13.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$567 MX$10.6K

72.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$467 MX$8,727

-18.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$1,115 MX$20.8K

53.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$766 MX$14.3K

40.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

$1,934 MX$36.1K

103.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$1,128 MX$21.1K

445.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$652 MX$12.2K

12.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.53

-0.69%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tepic: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Tepic

$467 38.3% 22.6% $86

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Tepic

$251 20.5% 1.6% $4

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Tepic

$205 16.8% 1.4% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tepic

$85 7% 37.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tepic

$126 10.3% 12.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Tepic

$44 3.6% 35.2% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tepic

$43 3.5% 14.4% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $567 in Tepic. 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 13% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $43 in Tepic. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $251 in Tepic – so Tepic wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Tepic

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

04:05 4:05 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

371,387

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tepic 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tepic

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 Tepic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tepic is pricier by about 1%, 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 $1,831 in Tepic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tepic, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $237 in Tepic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,221 in Tepic, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,221 in Tepic. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.