Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portoviejo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $877 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
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Portoviejo Living Index
58

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

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Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$877

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Portoviejo and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $877 per month in Portoviejo vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Portoviejo $877
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,400 per month in Portoviejo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Portoviejo $1,400
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,924 per month in Portoviejo vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Portoviejo $1,924
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Portoviejo is about 27% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Portoviejo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Portoviejo 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 $4.06

$10.92 MX$204

-62.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.6 $51.6

$43.37 MX$808

18.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 $8.95

$11.78 MX$220

-24.02%

Cappuccino

$2.93 $2.93

$3.81 MX$71.0

-23.10%

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

$0.94 $0.94

$1.28 MX$23.90

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 $0.67

$0.78 MX$14.59

-14.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.17 MX$59.0

-8.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.93 MX$92.0

-15.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.41 MX$26.22

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.22 MX$41.33

-9.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.42 MX$26.42

2.11%

Eggs

$2.15 $2.15

$2.52 MX$47.03

-14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$7.26 MX$135

-4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$7.70 MX$143

-34.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$12.69 MX$237

-25.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.78 MX$51.9

-45.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.37 MX$25.50

-16.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.55 MX$47.55

-61.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.12 MX$39.58

-54.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.94 MX$36.13

-37.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.89 MX$35.16

-47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.15 MX$21.37

-22.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.18 MX$21.98

-20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 $6.04

$4.30 MX$80.1

40.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.23 $12.23

$9.95 MX$185

22.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.58 MX$29.52

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.67 MX$49.79

-17.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.55 MX$10.31

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.97 MX$92.6

-46.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$3.33 MX$62.1

-46.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.17 $12.17

$5.36 MX$99.8

127.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.44 MX$26.92

-38.89%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

11.22%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

31.45%

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

$33.95 $33.95

$84.8 MX$1,581

-59.96%

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

$14.67 $14.67

$23.41 MX$436

-37.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.33 $26.33

$28.66 MX$534

-8.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.57 $31.57

$57.1 MX$1,063

-44.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 $16.27

$28.91 MX$539

-43.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 $7.54

$5.14 MX$95.8

46.69%

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

$375 $375

$207 MX$3,851

81.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,671 $5,671

$3,927 MX$73.2K

44.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 $65.2

$43.35 MX$808

50.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 $41.29

$41.44 MX$772

-0.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$74.2 MX$1,383

66.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 $92.4

$89.3 MX$1,664

3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 $415

$980 MX$18.3K

-57.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 $273

$381 MX$7,099

-28.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 $914

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-46.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 $430

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-60.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,019 $1,019

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-74.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$789 $789

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-87.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$331 $331

$735 MX$13.7K

-54.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.45

-12.23%

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

Last update for Portoviejo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portoviejo

$273 31.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 39.3% $107

Groceries & Markets

Portoviejo

$201 22.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Portoviejo

$145 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.9% $33

Eating Out

Portoviejo

$124 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 63.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portoviejo

$75 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 82.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Portoviejo

$47 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 44.3% $21

Getting Around

Portoviejo

$13 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 290% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Portoviejo versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Portoviejo versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Portoviejo vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Portoviejo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

Same time as Portoviejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,641

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portoviejo Playa del Carmen 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Portoviejo
Playa del Carmen

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

Portoviejo vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,316 per month in Portoviejo and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portoviejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $415 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $877 in Portoviejo and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Portoviejo about 27% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Portoviejo and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $877 in Portoviejo and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $877 in Portoviejo to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Portoviejo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.