Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Penasco and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Puerto Penasco and in Playa del Carmen: $1,201 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Penasco
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Puerto Penasco Living Index
59

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

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Puerto Penasco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,201

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,201 per month in Puerto Penasco vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Penasco $1,201
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,934 per month in Puerto Penasco vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Penasco $1,934
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,667 per month in Puerto Penasco vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Puerto Penasco $2,667
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Puerto Penasco is about 1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Puerto Penasco and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Puerto Penasco 11% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.21 MX$226

$10.76 MX$199

13.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.63 MX$806

$43.03 MX$795

1.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.62 MX$159

$11.79 MX$218

-26.89%

Cappuccino

$4.72 MX$87.2

$3.87 MX$71.4

21.96%

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

$1.37 MX$25.26

$1.37 MX$25.29

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.04

$0.84 MX$15.44

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 MX$46.31

$3.10 MX$57.3

-19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 MX$76.5

$5.07 MX$93.6

-18.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$30.05

$1.44 MX$26.55

13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 MX$58.4

$2.23 MX$41.23

41.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.38

$1.47 MX$27.17

19.05%

Eggs

$3.00 MX$55.5

$2.53 MX$46.71

18.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.84 MX$89.4

$7.30 MX$135

-33.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.68 MX$197

$7.86 MX$145

35.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.40 MX$174

$12.79 MX$236

-26.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 MX$81.0

$2.90 MX$53.6

51.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.89

$1.44 MX$26.53

34.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 MX$54.3

$2.55 MX$47.07

15.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.50

$2.06 MX$38.03

0.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.75

$2.00 MX$36.97

-3.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.68

$2.01 MX$37.07

1.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.16

$1.19 MX$22.02

23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$28.73

$1.26 MX$23.23

23.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.60 MX$85.1

$4.40 MX$81.4

4.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.60 MX$251

$9.59 MX$177

41.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MX$29.87

$1.59 MX$29.41

1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.46

$2.81 MX$51.9

-45.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$11.18

$0.57 MX$10.47

5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 MX$39.82

$4.98 MX$92.1

-56.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 MX$56.3

$3.50 MX$64.6

-12.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.30 MX$227

$5.40 MX$99.8

127.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.24

$1.47 MX$27.08

-6.80%

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

$22.4K MX$413.8K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

6.70%

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

$21.6K MX$399.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-9.59%

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

$72.2 MX$1,333

$84.2 MX$1,556

-14.32%

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

$12.71 MX$235

$23.99 MX$443

-47.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.67 MX$770

$29.02 MX$536

43.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 MX$609

$63.0 MX$1,164

-47.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.58 MX$417

$29.14 MX$539

-22.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 MX$98.5

$4.94 MX$91.3

7.89%

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

$205 MX$3,791

$204 MX$3,763

0.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,515 MX$83.4K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

14.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MX$1,023

$43.60 MX$806

27.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.92 MX$738

$43.12 MX$797

-7.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,873

$75.8 MX$1,400

33.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$88.6 MX$1,637

1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 MX$9,428

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-49.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 MX$7,027

$374 MX$6,911

1.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 MX$16.9K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-46.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 MX$14.4K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-29.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,992 MX$36.8K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-49.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,174 MX$21.7K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-80.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$577 MX$10.7K

$754 MX$13.9K

-23.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.55

11.45

-7.86%

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

Last update for Puerto Penasco: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Penasco

$380 31.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 1.6% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Penasco

$291 24.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 11.3% $33

Eating Out

Puerto Penasco

$211 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 4% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Penasco

$129 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 12.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Penasco

$127 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 8.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Penasco

$44 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 67.2% $29

Getting Around

Puerto Penasco

$20 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 165% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $510 in Puerto Penasco versus $1,008 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 run about 31% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Puerto Penasco versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Penasco

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

02:26 2:26 AM

2 h ahead of Puerto Penasco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,756

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Puerto Penasco Playa del Carmen 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,802 per month in Puerto Penasco and $1,816 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 Penasco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,201 in Puerto Penasco and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Puerto Penasco and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Penasco, where all-in costs run around $1,201, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Puerto Penasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puerto Penasco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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