Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga: $1,120 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga
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Tlajomulco de Zúñiga Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

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 Tlajomulco de Zúñiga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,120 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tlajomulco de Zúñiga $1,120

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,802 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Tlajomulco de Zúñiga $1,802

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,484 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Tlajomulco de Zúñiga $2,484

Playa del Carmen costs about 8% more than Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tlajomulco de Zúñiga are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$13.43 MX$248

-19.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$43.20 MX$798

2.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$9.12 MX$168

28.95%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.22 MX$59.6

14.29%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.65 MX$30.57

-18.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.15 MX$21.18

-28.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.13 MX$39.33

43.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.91 MX$90.7

0.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.61 MX$29.82

-8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.61 MX$48.26

-14.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.55 MX$28.61

-4.52%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.42 MX$44.78

2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.88 MX$164

-15.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.37 MX$155

-4.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.30 MX$190

22.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.38 MX$43.98

16.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.55 MX$28.71

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.32 MX$24.48

98.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.32 MX$24.44

62.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.66 MX$30.76

21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.11 MX$20.45

79.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.51 MX$27.82

-24.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.00 MX$18.48

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.37 MX$80.8

-2.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.52 MX$176

5.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.64 MX$30.34

-6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.29 MX$60.8

-19.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.67 MX$12.40

-20.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.23 MX$41.14

119.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.32 MX$24.48

159.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$11.82 MX$218

-54.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.34 MX$24.84

8.21%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.2K MX$392.1K

-0.28%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$23.1K MX$426.9K

-0.36%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$49.69 MX$918

71.79%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$22.89 MX$423

2.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$21.65 MX$400

31.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$34.43 MX$636

80.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$19.83 MX$366

44.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$3.22 MX$59.6

58.39%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$256 MX$4,739

-21.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$10.7K MX$197.2K

-63.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$58.4 MX$1,080

-24.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$40.50 MX$748

2.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$104 MX$1,927

-30.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$81.2 MX$1,500

10.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$596 MX$11.0K

64.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$391 MX$7,219

-4.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,031 MX$19.1K

63.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$751 MX$13.9K

45.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,802 MX$33.3K

119.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,216 MX$22.5K

404.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$616 MX$11.4K

19.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.32

115.23%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tlajomulco de Zúñiga: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$391 34.9% 4.8% $18

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$250 22.3% 3.4% $8.7

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$205 18.3% 2.5% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$94 8.4% 31.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$128 11.4% 14.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$41 3.7% 43.5% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$12 * 1% 77.7% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $596 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. 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 20% 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $43.00 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $250 – making Tlajomulco de Zúñiga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,103

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tlajomulco de Zúñiga 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

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 Tlajomulco de Zúñiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,680 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,120 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $256 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, where all-in costs run around $1,120, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tlajomulco de Zúñiga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tlajomulco de Zúñiga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. 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.