Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto De La Libertad and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto De La Libertad: $833 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto De La Libertad
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Puerto De La Libertad Living Index
58

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

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Puerto De La Libertad

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$833

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto De La Libertad 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 Puerto De La Libertad and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $833 per month in Puerto De La Libertad vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto De La Libertad $833
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,335 per month in Puerto De La Libertad vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto De La Libertad $1,335
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,836 per month in Puerto De La Libertad vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto De La Libertad $1,836
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Puerto De La Libertad is about 31% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Puerto De La Libertad and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Puerto De La Libertad 39% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.60 $6.60

$10.92 MX$204

-39.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.41 $44.41

$43.37 MX$808

2.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 $6.83

$11.78 MX$220

-42.02%

Cappuccino

$3.64 $3.64

$3.81 MX$71.0

-4.46%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$1.28 MX$23.90

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 $0.80

$0.78 MX$14.59

2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.17 MX$59.0

-38.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$4.93 MX$92.0

-26.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.41 MX$26.22

29.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.22 MX$41.33

27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.42 MX$26.42

-2.11%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$2.52 MX$47.03

17.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$7.26 MX$135

9.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$7.70 MX$143

-10.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$12.69 MX$237

-19.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.78 MX$51.9

78.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.37 MX$25.50

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.55 MX$47.55

5.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.12 MX$39.58

64.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.94 MX$36.13

52.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.89 MX$35.16

70.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.15 MX$21.37

-9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.18 MX$21.98

-17.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 $3.90

$4.30 MX$80.1

-9.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 $12.19

$9.95 MX$185

22.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.58 MX$29.52

38.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.67 MX$49.79

10.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 $5.96

$4.97 MX$92.6

19.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.33 MX$62.1

-10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.03 $20.03

$5.36 MX$99.8

273.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.44 MX$26.92

-11.81%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

19.46%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

14.19%

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

$131 $131

$84.8 MX$1,581

54.82%

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

$21.60 $21.60

$23.41 MX$436

-7.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.24 $43.24

$28.66 MX$534

50.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.18 $20.18

$57.1 MX$1,063

-64.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 $4.93

$5.14 MX$95.8

-4.09%

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

$162 $162

$207 MX$3,851

-21.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,758 $4,758

$3,927 MX$73.2K

21.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 $68.4

$43.35 MX$808

57.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.15 $46.15

$41.44 MX$772

11.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$74.2 MX$1,383

60.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$89.3 MX$1,664

30.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

11.45

-25.76%

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

Last update for Puerto De La Libertad: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Puerto De La Libertad

$287 34.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 11.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto De La Libertad

$196 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto De La Libertad

$158 18.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.1% $46

Eating Out

Puerto De La Libertad

$142 17%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 42.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto De La Libertad

$30 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 124% $37

Getting Around

Puerto De La Libertad

$21 * 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 142% $30

Accommodation & Living

Puerto De La Libertad

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Puerto De La Libertad versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Puerto De La Libertad

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

1 h ahead of Puerto De La Libertad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,855

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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto De La Libertad Playa del Carmen 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Puerto De La Libertad
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

Puerto De La Libertad vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,250 per month in Puerto De La Libertad and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Kindergarten costs $162 per month in Puerto De La Libertad 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 $833 in Puerto De La Libertad 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 $833 in Puerto De La Libertad to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.