Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Toluca

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,098 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
Learn more

Toluca Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,098 in Toluca, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Toluca $1,098

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,844 in Toluca, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Toluca $1,844

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,589 in Toluca, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Toluca $2,589

Playa del Carmen costs about 10% more than Toluca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Toluca are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Toluca 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$11.03 MX$204

-1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$42.85 MX$792

3.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$9.09 MX$168

29.37%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.14 MX$58.0

17.20%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.26 MX$23.24

6.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.76 MX$13.97

7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.14 MX$39.49

42.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.29 MX$60.8

50.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.77 MX$32.71

-16.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.12 MX$57.7

-28.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.18 MX$40.28

-32.11%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.05 MX$56.3

-18.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$7.94 MX$147

-5.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$8.36 MX$155

-4.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.91 MX$165

41.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.08 MX$75.3

-31.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.11 MX$39.00

-32.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.22 MX$41.07

18.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.28 MX$42.16

-6.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.82 MX$52.2

-28.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.30 MX$42.58

-13.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.64 MX$30.26

-30.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.03 MX$19.07

16.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.87 MX$90.0

-12.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$12.25 MX$226

-18.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.99 MX$36.76

-22.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.65 MX$67.5

-27.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.75 MX$13.92

-29.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.20 MX$59.0

53.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.01 MX$37.22

70.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$10.17 MX$188

-47.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.44 MX$26.66

0.69%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$24.6K MX$454.6K

-13.99%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$23.5K MX$433.9K

-1.98%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$58.1 MX$1,074

46.89%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$25.04 MX$463

-6.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$31.71 MX$586

-10.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$48.08 MX$889

29.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$22.66 MX$419

26.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.95 MX$128

-26.62%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$224 MX$4,131

-10.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$5,244 MX$96.9K

-24.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$66.7 MX$1,233

-33.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$53.7 MX$992

-22.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$104 MX$1,920

-30.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$104 MX$1,923

-13.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$705 MX$13.0K

39.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$289 MX$5,345

28.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$972 MX$18.0K

72.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$703 MX$13.0K

55.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,296 MX$24.0K

204.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$915 MX$16.9K

570.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,273 MX$23.5K

-42.05%

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: October 17, 2026

Last update for Toluca: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Toluca

$289 26.3% 22.4% $84

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Toluca

$289 26.4% 12% $31

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Toluca

$178 16.3% 10.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Toluca

$115 10.5% 16.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Toluca

$148 13.5% 32.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Toluca

$62 5.7% 14.4% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Toluca

$16 * 1.5% 68.5% $35

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 $705 in Toluca. 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 73% higher in Toluca, 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $43.00 in Toluca. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $289 in Toluca – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Toluca

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

223,876

💱 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Toluca 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Toluca

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 Toluca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 10%, 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 $1,647 in Toluca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Toluca, 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 $1,098 in Toluca. That's a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $224 in Toluca. 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 Toluca, where all-in costs run around $1,098, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Toluca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Toluca – 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 Toluca. 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.