Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta del Este and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta del Este and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Punta del Este is 22.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 62% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Punta del Este is 49.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 49.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Punta del Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.22 UYU 749
$11.99 MX$227
51.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.8 UYU 2,129
$42.47 MX$803
22.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.21 UYU 460
$10.47 MX$198
7.07%
Cappuccino
$4.56 UYU 187
$3.6 MX$68.2
26.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 UYU 147
$1.44 MX$27.16
148.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 UYU 110
$0.89 MX$16.79
200.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.77 UYU 155
$3.09 MX$58.5
22.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.75 UYU 195
$4.58 MX$86.6
3.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Punta del Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.3 UYU 53.4
$1.38 MX$26.04
-5.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.39 UYU 98.2
$1.85 MX$34.9
29.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 UYU 89.4
$1.57 MX$29.68
38.85%
Eggs
$4 UYU 164
$2.55 MX$48.3
56.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.85 UYU 569
$8.61 MX$163
60.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.11 UYU 539
$8.54 MX$161
53.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.5 UYU 514
$10.98 MX$208
13.84%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 UYU 127
$2.72 MX$51.4
13.60%
Banana (1kg)
$3.52 UYU 145
$1.51 MX$28.57
133.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.02 UYU 82.9
$1.88 MX$35.63
7.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.61 UYU 148
$2.19 MX$41.42
64.84%
Potato (1kg)
$2.18 UYU 89.6
$1.87 MX$35.3
16.58%
Onion (1kg)
$2.04 UYU 83.7
$2.19 MX$41.37
-6.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 UYU 53.6
$1.07 MX$20.23
22.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 UYU 80
$1.09 MX$20.64
78.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.77 UYU 196
$3.96 MX$74.9
20.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.69 UYU 357
$8.86 MX$167
-1.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.29 UYU 135
$1.72 MX$32.53
91.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 UYU 208
$2.61 MX$49.37
94.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Punta del Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.38 UYU 56.7
$0.52 MX$9.74
165.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.42 UYU 2,031
$26.59 MX$503
85.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.24 MX$61.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.49 UYU 143
$2.38 MX$44.94
46.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.56 UYU 557
$3.11 MX$58.7
336.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 UYU 75.5
$1.31 MX$24.85
40.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K UYU 1.2M
$30.3K MX$573K
-4.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K UYU 1.4M
$24K MX$453.6K
44.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Punta del Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.2 UYU 3,952
$84.2 MX$1,592
14.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.31 UYU 670
$22.14 MX$419
-26.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.15 UYU 1,609
$30.14 MX$570
29.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Punta del Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.5 UYU 3,145
$52 MX$983
47.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.71 UYU 1,016
$18.72 MX$354
32.00%
Cinema Ticket
$9.93 UYU 408
$5.07 MX$95.9
95.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Punta del Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$620 UYU 25.5K
$200 MX$3,787
209.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,688 UYU 315.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
44.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Punta del Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$121 UYU 4,958
$35.74 MX$676
237.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.9 UYU 2,666
$39.8 MX$753
62.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$145 UYU 5,960
$79 MX$1,493
83.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 UYU 5,967
$88.4 MX$1,671
64.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Punta del Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,155 UYU 47.4K
$965 MX$18.3K
19.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$895 UYU 36.8K
$474 MX$8,968
88.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,450 UYU 100.7K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
48.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 UYU 77.3K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
56.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,006 UYU 164.6K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
30.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,987 UYU 81.7K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-73.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Punta del Este
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$901 UYU 37K
$792 MX$15K
13.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.42
-56.22%

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

Last update for Punta del Este: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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