Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tulum Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tulum

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 52.9% more expensive than Tulum without rent, and 19.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 11.3% more expensive than Tulum without rent, and 11.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$10.69 MX$202
12.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$50.5 MX$955
-15.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$7.97 MX$151
31.37%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.84 MX$72.6
-6.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.17 MX$22.11
23.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$1.12 MX$21.21
-20.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.7 MX$51
14.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$3.93 MX$74.4
16.54%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.44 MX$27.21
-4.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.18 MX$22.22
56.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.57 MX$29.76
-
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.93 MX$36.56
32.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$5.24 MX$99
64.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$6.88 MX$130
24.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$6.2 MX$117
77.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.13 MX$40.34
27.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.35 MX$25.49
11.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.41 MX$26.72
33.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.4 MX$26.56
56.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$2.18 MX$41.24
-14.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.97 MX$37.18
11.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.09 MX$20.55
-1.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.96 MX$18.18
13.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.16 MX$78.6
-4.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$7.96 MX$151
11.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.33 MX$25.11
29.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.31 MX$24.72
99.24%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$1.15 MX$21.83
-54.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$2.17 MX$41.08
49.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$2.24 MX$42.34
6.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$5.18 MX$97.9
-39.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.32 MX$24.94
-0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$15.8K MX$299.6K
91.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$21.1K MX$398.3K
13.89%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$83.9 MX$1,586
0.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$22.57 MX$427
-1.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$29.48 MX$557
2.24%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$33.44 MX$632
55.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$15.59 MX$295
20.08%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$4.69 MX$88.7
8.10%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$209 MX$3,942
-3.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$2,910 MX$55K
83.27%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$26.24 MX$496
36.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$31.51 MX$596
26.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$78.7 MX$1,487
0.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$46.04 MX$870
91.94%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$700 MX$13.2K
37.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$399 MX$7,546
18.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,436 MX$27.1K
15.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$1,256 MX$23.7K
-4.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,773 MX$33.5K
73.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,753 MX$33.1K
329.49%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$725 MX$13.7K
9.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11
3.82%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Tulum: October 28, 2025

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