Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Trujillo Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,754 in Trujillo Alto, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo Alto
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Trujillo Alto Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Trujillo Alto

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Trujillo Alto

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,754 in Trujillo Alto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Trujillo Alto $1,754

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,637 in Trujillo Alto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Trujillo Alto $2,637

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,520 in Trujillo Alto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Trujillo Alto $3,520

Playa del Carmen is about 31% cheaper than Trujillo Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Trujillo Alto is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$12.83 $12.83

-16.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$78.6 $78.6

-44.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.43 $9.43

25.03%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.91 $2.91

30.24%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.92 $1.92

-32.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.98 $0.98

-15.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.03 $3.03

3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.89 $3.89

26.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.16 $2.16

-34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.36 $3.36

-34.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.42 $2.42

-39.26%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$4.90 $4.90

-48.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.64 $8.64

-15.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$9.37 $9.37

-15.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.81 $7.81

64.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.29 $4.29

-32.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.57 $2.57

-46.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.74 $4.74

-47.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$3.82 $3.82

-46.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.74 $3.74

-45.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$4.05 $4.05

-53.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$3.48 $3.48

-67.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.54 $1.54

-19.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$10.11 $10.11

-57.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$14.96 $14.96

-34.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$3.11 $3.11

-48.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$4.09 $4.09

-32.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.44 $2.44

95.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.47 $1.47

121.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$42.15 $42.15

-87.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.04 $1.04

47.12%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$34.4K $34.4K

-38.34%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$28.2K $28.2K

-17.60%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$327 $327

-74.50%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$58.4 $58.4

-60.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$69.2 $69.2

-60.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$29.43 $29.43

91.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$10.16 $10.16

177.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.69 $10.69

-53.23%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$344 $344

-39.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$5,458 $5,458

-4.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$39.36 $39.36

10.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$54.0 $54.0

-21.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$90.0 $90.0

-19.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$113 $113

-21.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$698 $698

42.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$544 $544

-29.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,160 $1,160

44.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$960 $960

12.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,903 $1,903

105.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,614 $1,614

280.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$3,311 $3,311

-74.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.55

74.81%

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 Trujillo Alto: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Trujillo Alto

$544 31% 42.2% $162

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Trujillo Alto

$361 20.6% 40.2% $104

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Trujillo Alto

$200 11.4% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Trujillo Alto

$455 25.9% 239% $321

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Trujillo Alto

$133 7.6% 19.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Trujillo Alto

$51 2.9% 23.5% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Trujillo Alto

$9.8 * 0.6% 80.6% $41

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 $698 in Trujillo Alto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Trujillo Alto are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $79 in Trujillo Alto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $361 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Trujillo Alto

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

43,712

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Trujillo Alto 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Trujillo Alto

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 Trujillo Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Trujillo Alto is pricier by about 46%, 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 $2,631 in Trujillo Alto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trujillo Alto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $698 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,754 in Trujillo Alto. That makes Playa del Carmen about 31% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $344 in Trujillo Alto. 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 Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Trujillo Alto at $1,754. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Trujillo Alto 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,754 in Trujillo Alto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Trujillo Alto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.