Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yaren

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaren: $521 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Yaren

🇳🇷 Nauru

$521

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $521 in Yaren, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Yaren $521

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,918 in Yaren, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Yaren $2,918

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,315 in Yaren, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Yaren $5,315

Playa del Carmen costs about 131% more than Yaren, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Yaren are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Yaren 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$10.59 A$15.40

0.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$24.41 A$35.50

79.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$3.46 A$5.03

9.54%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$1.02 A$1.49

27.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$1.03 A$1.50

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$7.18 A$10.44

-56.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$4.96 A$7.21

-0.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$3.24 A$4.71

-56.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$1.76 A$2.57

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$3.43 A$4.98

-41.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$3.44 A$5.00

-44.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$3.50 A$5.09

-67.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$17.74 A$25.80

-44.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$1.42 A$2.06

-64.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$86.4 A$126

-68.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$6.85 A$9.97

-30.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$3.47 A$5.05

-6.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$42.61 A$62.0

-87.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.76 A$2.56

-13.07%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$35.3K A$51.4K

-39.94%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$10.4K A$15.1K

124.30%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

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

$23.19 MX$434

$6.93 A$10.08

234.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$28.14 A$40.93

-1.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$0.01 A$0.02

564200.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$13.93 A$20.26

102.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$7.06 A$10.26

-29.18%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$348 A$506

-40.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$10.4K A$15.1K

-49.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$14.18 A$20.62

206.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$10.46 A$15.22

306.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$35.04 A$51.0

107.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$71.1 A$103

24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$2,849 A$4,144

-65.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$5,036 A$7,324

-66.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$4,134 A$6,012

-73.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

186.25%

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 Yaren: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Yaren

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Yaren

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Yaren

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Yaren

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Yaren

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Yaren

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Yaren

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,849 in Yaren. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $24 in Yaren. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $117 – making Yaren the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇷 Yaren

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

05:24 5:24 AM

17 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 AUD = 0.688 USD

1 AUD = 0.612 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.45 AUD (1 AUD = 0.688 USD). 1 EUR = 1.63 AUD (1 AUD = 0.612 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Yaren 11,690 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Yaren

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 Yaren: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 131%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $782 in Yaren. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $2,849 in Yaren.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $521 in Yaren. That makes Yaren about 57% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Yaren, where all-in costs run around $521, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Yaren it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $521 in Yaren to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.