Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Trujillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Trujillo: $865 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo
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Trujillo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Trujillo

🇵🇪 Peru

$865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $865 in Trujillo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Trujillo $865

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,332 in Trujillo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Trujillo $1,332

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,799 in Trujillo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Trujillo $1,799

Playa del Carmen costs about 39% more than Trujillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Trujillo are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Trujillo 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$3.42 PEN 11.76

211.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$22.82 PEN 78.5

91.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$7.05 PEN 24.25

67.23%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$3.36 PEN 11.56

12.80%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$0.95 PEN 3.28

36.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$0.65 PEN 2.23

27.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$2.00 PEN 6.87

57.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$3.47 PEN 11.95

42.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.36 PEN 4.69

3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$1.98 PEN 6.82

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.18 PEN 4.05

24.58%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$4.09 PEN 14.08

-38.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.75 PEN 26.67

-5.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$6.60 PEN 22.71

20.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$9.26 PEN 31.86

38.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$1.66 PEN 5.72

74.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$0.61 PEN 2.09

126.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$0.59 PEN 2.04

322.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$0.85 PEN 2.94

138.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$0.92 PEN 3.16

119.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.18 PEN 4.06

61.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$1.21 PEN 4.17

-5.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$1.13 PEN 3.88

9.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$4.34 PEN 14.95

-1.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$5.81 PEN 19.98

68.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.77 PEN 6.09

-10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$1.54 PEN 5.31

78.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$0.60 PEN 2.05

-15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$16.98 PEN 58.4

61.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$2.47 PEN 8.50

92.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$2.12 PEN 7.28

53.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$5.64 PEN 19.40

-4.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.62 PEN 5.59

-5.56%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$17.2K PEN 59.2K

23.38%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$27.1K PEN 93.3K

-14.24%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$96.7 PEN 333

-13.62%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$13.12 PEN 45.14

76.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$26.57 PEN 91.4

3.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$38.73 PEN 133

45.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$5.90 PEN 20.31

377.80%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$4.42 PEN 15.20

13.12%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$108 PEN 373

90.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$2,074 PEN 7,135

152.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$70.7 PEN 243

-38.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$14.28 PEN 49.13

197.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$45.39 PEN 156

60.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$43.88 PEN 151

101.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$376 PEN 1,295

164.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$254 PEN 875

50.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$747 PEN 2,571

124.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$505 PEN 1,739

113.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$1,143 PEN 3,931

242.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$548 PEN 1,887

51.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.7

-2.14%

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 Trujillo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Trujillo

$254 29.4% 33.5% $128

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Trujillo

$204 23.6% 20.7% $53

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Trujillo

$112 13% 44% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Trujillo

$136 15.8% 1.5% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Trujillo

$78 9.1% 29.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Trujillo

$48 5.5% 28.4% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Trujillo

$32 3.8% 35.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $376 in Trujillo. 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 52% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $23 in Trujillo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $204 – making Trujillo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇪 Trujillo

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

314,939

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Trujillo 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Trujillo

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,298 in Trujillo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trujillo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $376 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $865 in Trujillo. That makes Trujillo about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Trujillo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trujillo, where all-in costs run around $865, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Trujillo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Trujillo – 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 Trujillo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.