Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Xilitla

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,381 in Xilitla, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Xilitla, Mexico
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Xilitla
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,381
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,381 in Xilitla, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Xilitla $1,381

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,160 in Xilitla, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Xilitla $2,160

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,940 in Xilitla, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Xilitla $2,940

Playa del Carmen is about 13% cheaper than Xilitla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Xilitla
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$14.66 MX$273
-25.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$40.92 MX$763
5.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$10.14 MX$189
16.17%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$3.58 MX$66.8
6.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$1.59 MX$29.58
-19.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$1.03 MX$19.26
-24.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$3.57 MX$66.6
-11.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$6.07 MX$113
-18.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Xilitla
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.52 MX$28.26
-7.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$3.13 MX$58.3
-29.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$1.81 MX$33.78
-21.55%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$2.97 MX$55.3
-15.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$8.06 MX$150
-9.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$11.91 MX$222
-35.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$17.77 MX$331
-28.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$3.87 MX$72.2
-28.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$1.63 MX$30.31
-15.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$2.87 MX$53.6
-11.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$2.86 MX$53.3
-25.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$2.62 MX$48.91
-25.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$3.05 MX$56.8
-38.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$1.06 MX$19.78
8.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$1.30 MX$24.22
-9.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$4.34 MX$80.8
-0.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$15.94 MX$297
-37.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$2.35 MX$43.77
-32.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$3.82 MX$71.2
-30.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Xilitla
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$0.66 MX$12.32
-16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
$30.89 MX$576
-13.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$4.34 MX$80.8
14.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$4.29 MX$80.0
-22.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$10.88 MX$203
-50.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$1.46 MX$27.19
-1.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$24.6K MX$458.5K
-15.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$23.5K MX$438.0K
-0.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Xilitla
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$41.21 MX$768
105.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$15.72 MX$293
48.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$41.41 MX$772
-30.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Xilitla
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$30.85 MX$575
84.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$18.84 MX$351
53.45%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$6.51 MX$121
-21.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Xilitla
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$350 MX$6,530
-41.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$4,944 MX$92.2K
-20.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Xilitla
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$65.6 MX$1,222
-33.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$58.6 MX$1,093
-29.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$113 MX$2,111
-34.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$142 MX$2,642
-37.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Xilitla
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$643 MX$12.0K
52.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$435 MX$8,102
-12.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$904 MX$16.9K
88.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$758 MX$14.1K
41.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$1,795 MX$33.5K
119.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$1,112 MX$20.7K
453.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Xilitla
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
12.05
-4.98%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Xilitla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Xilitla
$435 14.1% $54
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Xilitla
$343 34.5% $88
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Xilitla
$231 14.2% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Xilitla
$98 28.1% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Xilitla
$171 52.7% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Xilitla
$44 34.8% $23
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Xilitla
$59 17.6% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $643 in Xilitla. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $41 in Xilitla. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $343 in Xilitla – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Xilitla
🕒 Local time
15:37 3:37 PM
14:37 2:37 PM
1 h behind Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
6,576
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Xilitla 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Xilitla

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 Xilitla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Xilitla?
Yes – Xilitla is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,071 in Xilitla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Xilitla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $643 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Xilitla?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,381 in Xilitla. That makes Playa del Carmen about 13% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 14% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Xilitla?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,381 in Xilitla. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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