Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Escondido and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Puerto Escondido and in Playa del Carmen: $1,219 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
Learn more

Puerto Escondido Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,219

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,219 per month in Puerto Escondido vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Escondido $1,219
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,895 per month in Puerto Escondido vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Escondido $1,895
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,572 per month in Puerto Escondido vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Escondido $2,572
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Puerto Escondido and Playa del Carmen have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Puerto Escondido and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Puerto Escondido 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.04 MX$187

$10.92 MX$203

-8.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.27 MX$787

$43.37 MX$808

-2.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 MX$156

$11.78 MX$219

-28.95%

Cappuccino

$3.49 MX$65.0

$3.81 MX$71.0

-8.40%

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

$1.32 MX$24.68

$1.28 MX$23.89

3.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$18.77

$0.78 MX$14.58

29.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 MX$55.5

$3.17 MX$59.0

-5.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 MX$76.7

$4.93 MX$91.9

-16.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.58

$1.41 MX$26.20

27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 MX$52.4

$2.22 MX$41.30

26.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.81

$1.42 MX$26.40

9.15%

Eggs

$2.69 MX$50.2

$2.52 MX$47.00

6.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 MX$149

$7.26 MX$135

10.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 MX$204

$7.70 MX$143

41.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 MX$214

$12.69 MX$236

-9.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$2.78 MX$51.9

-1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.69

$1.37 MX$25.49

20.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.84

$2.55 MX$47.52

-26.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.02

$2.12 MX$39.55

-16.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 MX$29.95

$1.94 MX$36.11

-17.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 MX$38.13

$1.89 MX$35.13

8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.34

$1.15 MX$21.36

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$21.13

$1.18 MX$21.96

-4.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$82.4

$4.30 MX$80.0

2.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 MX$193

$9.95 MX$185

4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 MX$43.14

$1.58 MX$29.50

46.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MX$56.5

$2.67 MX$49.76

13.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.67

$0.55 MX$10.31

43.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.45 MX$586

$26.62 MX$496

18.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.56

$4.97 MX$92.6

-47.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 MX$32.96

$3.33 MX$62.1

-46.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.22 MX$209

$5.36 MX$99.8

109.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.10

$1.44 MX$26.90

-6.25%

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

$21.2K MX$394.3K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

2.41%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

-7.24%

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

$51.7 MX$964

$84.8 MX$1,580

-38.99%

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

$22.32 MX$416

$23.41 MX$436

-4.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.63 MX$664

$28.66 MX$534

24.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.21 MX$507

$57.1 MX$1,063

-52.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.22 MX$377

$28.91 MX$539

-30.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MX$93.5

$5.14 MX$95.7

-2.33%

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

$216 MX$4,016

$207 MX$3,848

4.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,627 MX$86.2K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

17.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 MX$944

$43.35 MX$808

16.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.62 MX$813

$41.44 MX$772

5.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 MX$1,585

$74.2 MX$1,382

14.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MX$1,819

$89.3 MX$1,663

9.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 MX$11.1K

$980 MX$18.2K

-39.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 MX$8,170

$381 MX$7,095

15.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 MX$17.5K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-45.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 MX$14.0K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-29.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,004 MX$37.3K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-49.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,179 MX$22.0K

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-80.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$329 MX$6,127

$735 MX$13.7K

-55.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.45

-1.22%

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

Last update for Puerto Escondido: 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

Puerto Escondido

$439 36%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 13.2% $58

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Escondido

$283 23.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 9.9% $28

Eating Out

Puerto Escondido

$180 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 12.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Escondido

$125 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Escondido

$110 9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 24.8% $27

Getting Around

Puerto Escondido

$46 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 9.6% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 80.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in Puerto Escondido 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 $42 in Puerto Escondido versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $283 in Puerto Escondido vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

1 h ahead of Puerto Escondido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,902

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto Escondido Playa del Carmen 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,828 per month in Puerto Escondido 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 Puerto Escondido, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $598 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $216 per month in Puerto Escondido and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,219 in Puerto Escondido and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,219 in Puerto Escondido. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.