Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tuxtla Gutierrez

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuxtla Gutierrez: $915 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tuxtla Gutierrez
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Tuxtla Gutierrez Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Tuxtla Gutierrez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Tuxtla Gutierrez

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $915 in Tuxtla Gutierrez, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Tuxtla Gutierrez $915

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,529 in Tuxtla Gutierrez, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Tuxtla Gutierrez $1,529

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,142 in Tuxtla Gutierrez, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Tuxtla Gutierrez $2,142

Playa del Carmen costs about 32% more than Tuxtla Gutierrez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tuxtla Gutierrez are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Tuxtla Gutierrez 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$6.69 MX$124

60.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$19.09 MX$353

125.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$7.30 MX$135

61.51%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.38 MX$25.53

-0.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.09 MX$20.08

-22.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.16 MX$39.85

43.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.48 MX$45.86

104.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.55 MX$28.61

-7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.76 MX$51.1

-19.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.75 MX$32.33

-16.00%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.61 MX$48.31

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$18.67 MX$345

-60.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$7.96 MX$147

-1.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.75 MX$199

18.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.70 MX$49.81

7.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.39 MX$25.64

3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.53 MX$46.74

0.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.64 MX$30.34

25.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.76 MX$32.54

13.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.03 MX$37.46

-0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.13 MX$20.91

5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.65 MX$12.06

93.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.51 MX$83.3

-2.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$11.03 MX$204

-13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.45 MX$26.76

9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.86 MX$71.4

-27.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.53 MX$9.74

7.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$29.17 MX$539

-4.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.70 MX$49.83

84.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$2.81 MX$52.0

24.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$8.18 MX$151

-33.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.45 MX$26.87

1.38%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$22.3K MX$411.3K

-5.72%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$25.1K MX$463.4K

-4.66%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$24.62 MX$455

242.04%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$20.22 MX$374

18.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$25.40 MX$469

14.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$41.92 MX$775

50.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$13.75 MX$254

111.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.90 MX$109

-16.27%

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

$204 MX$3,763

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$2,297 MX$42.5K

71.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$33.97 MX$628

28.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$16.54 MX$306

160.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$68.6 MX$1,267

10.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$55.6 MX$1,028

59.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$330 MX$6,099

205.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$229 MX$4,240

63.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$821 MX$15.2K

108.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$608 MX$11.2K

81.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$501 MX$9,254

50.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tuxtla Gutierrez: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$229 25.1% 38.7% $145

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$288 31.4% 11.3% $29

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$147 16.1% 27.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$70 7.7% 48.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$79 8.6% 30.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$54 5.9% 26.3% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$48 5.3% 8.6% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $330 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. 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 51% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $19.00 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $288 in Tuxtla Gutierrez – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Tuxtla Gutierrez

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

01:23 1:23 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

578,830

💱 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

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Playa del Carmen Tuxtla Gutierrez 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
Tuxtla Gutierrez

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 Tuxtla Gutierrez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,373 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tuxtla Gutierrez, 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $915 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. That's a gap of about 32%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $19.00 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tuxtla Gutierrez, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Tuxtla Gutierrez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tuxtla Gutierrez – 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 Tuxtla Gutierrez. 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.