Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queretaro and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,405 in Queretaro, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index
59

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

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Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,405

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,405 per month in Queretaro vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Queretaro $1,405
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,147 per month in Queretaro vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Queretaro $2,147
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,890 per month in Queretaro vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Queretaro $2,890
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Queretaro costs about 17% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Queretaro sits 4% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 MX$201

$10.86 MX$201

0.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 MX$1,180

$44.21 MX$817

44.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 MX$176

$11.76 MX$217

-18.96%

Cappuccino

$3.56 MX$65.9

$3.68 MX$68.0

-3.26%

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

$1.63 MX$30.11

$1.34 MX$24.79

21.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.00

$0.82 MX$15.24

31.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 MX$59.8

$3.06 MX$56.6

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.37 MX$99.3

$4.94 MX$91.2

8.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MX$34.25

$1.47 MX$27.17

25.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 MX$50.7

$2.22 MX$40.95

23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.55

$1.48 MX$27.32

33.78%

Eggs

$2.67 MX$49.30

$2.49 MX$45.99

7.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.53 MX$158

$7.52 MX$139

13.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 MX$158

$7.96 MX$147

7.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 MX$252

$12.57 MX$232

8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 MX$62.0

$2.78 MX$51.3

20.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.94

$1.43 MX$26.37

13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.10

$2.62 MX$48.37

-19.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.71

$2.14 MX$39.49

-12.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.60

$2.02 MX$37.38

-12.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.01

$1.99 MX$36.74

-13.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.24

$1.14 MX$21.01

34.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.68

$1.20 MX$22.18

-2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MX$82.2

$4.26 MX$78.7

4.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 MX$329

$10.02 MX$185

77.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 MX$38.92

$1.54 MX$28.41

37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 MX$72.8

$2.66 MX$49.17

48.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 MX$10.89

$0.53 MX$9.73

11.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.82 MX$459

$27.51 MX$508

-9.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 MX$59.4

$4.90 MX$90.6

-34.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 MX$46.88

$3.43 MX$63.5

-25.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.77 MX$199

$5.38 MX$99.4

100.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.64

$1.45 MX$26.76

6.90%

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

$24.3K MX$449.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

15.07%

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

$23.1K MX$427.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

0.38%

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

$56.6 MX$1,046

$85.4 MX$1,577

-33.70%

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

$26.72 MX$494

$23.46 MX$434

13.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.98 MX$462

$28.43 MX$525

-12.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 MX$1,026

$62.2 MX$1,149

-10.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.62 MX$455

$28.68 MX$530

-14.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 MX$134

$5.10 MX$94.3

42.16%

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

$260 MX$4,795

$201 MX$3,715

29.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,015 MX$92.7K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

27.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 MX$976

$44.39 MX$820

18.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 MX$824

$41.35 MX$764

7.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 MX$1,836

$72.7 MX$1,344

36.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 MX$1,769

$89.6 MX$1,656

6.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$854 MX$15.8K

$979 MX$18.1K

-12.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 MX$10.2K

$373 MX$6,887

48.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 MX$26.2K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-15.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 MX$15.1K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-25.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,176 MX$40.2K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-44.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,246 MX$23.0K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-79.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$929 MX$17.2K

$738 MX$13.6K

25.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

11.45

4.72%

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

Last update for Queretaro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queretaro

$554 39.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 32.7% $181

Groceries & Markets

Queretaro

$301 21.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 14.2% $43

Eating Out

Queretaro

$196 14%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 2.1% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Queretaro

$132 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queretaro

$108 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 26.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Queretaro

$70 5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 3.4% $2.4

Getting Around

Queretaro

$43 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 20% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $854 in Queretaro versus $979 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 26% higher in Queretaro, 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 $64.0 in Queretaro versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

1 h ahead of Queretaro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

804,663

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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Queretaro Playa del Carmen 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Queretaro
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

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

Yes – Queretaro is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,107 per month in Queretaro 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 Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,405 in Queretaro and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Queretaro at $1,405. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Queretaro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Queretaro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.