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 29.7% more expensive than Tulum without rent, and 21.6% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 2.8% more expensive than Tulum without rent, and 8.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$10.45 MX$181
11.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$50.7 MX$875
-15.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$7.90 MX$136
34.18%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$3.82 MX$66.0
-6.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$1.17 MX$20.15
23.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$1.08 MX$18.58
-16.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.74 MX$47.36
10.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$3.94 MX$68.1
15.74%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.38 MX$23.89
5.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.17 MX$20.25
56.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.50 MX$25.89
7.33%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$1.90 MX$32.78
33.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$5.24 MX$90.6
62.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$7.21 MX$124
17.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$6.20 MX$107
75.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.16 MX$37.33
26.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.34 MX$23.20
11.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.40 MX$24.25
38.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.42 MX$24.44
52.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$2.08 MX$35.97
-11.06%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.93 MX$33.35
13.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.03 MX$17.84
3.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.91 MX$15.72
18.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$4.16 MX$71.8
-2.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$8.45 MX$146
23.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.31 MX$22.68
25.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.30 MX$22.39
96.15%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$1.15 MX$19.88
-51.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$2.09 MX$36.05
50.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$2.13 MX$36.74
11.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$5.24 MX$90.5
-38.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.27 MX$21.92
3.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$16.1K MX$278.4K
89.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$21.8K MX$375.9K
9.45%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$84.5 MX$1,459
-1.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$22.06 MX$381
0.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$28.93 MX$500
1.52%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$33.08 MX$571
54.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$15.65 MX$270
19.42%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$4.66 MX$80.5
4.94%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$203 MX$3,512
-2.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$2,827 MX$48.8K
84.21%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$25.97 MX$448
38.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$31.39 MX$542
25.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$79.9 MX$1,380
0.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$44.92 MX$776
94.92%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$721 MX$12.5K
33.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$391 MX$6,747
23.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$1,435 MX$24.8K
14.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$1,239 MX$21.4K
-3.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$3,267 MX$56.4K
21.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$1,891 MX$32.7K
244.41%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$794 MX$13.7K
-8.51%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Tulum: April 12, 2026

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

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