Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quevedo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Quevedo: $864 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Quevedo, Ecuador
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Quevedo
🇪🇨 Ecuador
$864
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $864 per month in Quevedo vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Quevedo $864
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,459 per month in Quevedo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Quevedo $1,459
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,054 per month in Quevedo vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Quevedo $2,054
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Quevedo is about 28% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quevedo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Quevedo 37% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Quevedo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.49 $5.49
$10.92 MX$203
-49.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.0 $54.0
$43.37 MX$805
24.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 $7.54
$11.78 MX$219
-35.99%
Cappuccino
$3.34 $3.34
$3.81 MX$70.7
-12.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.28 MX$23.81
10.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 $1.06
$0.78 MX$14.54
35.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.53 $3.53
$3.17 MX$58.8
11.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.94 $5.94
$4.93 MX$91.7
20.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Quevedo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 $1.10
$1.41 MX$26.12
-21.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 $1.58
$2.22 MX$41.17
-28.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 $1.53
$1.42 MX$26.32
7.75%
Eggs
$2.16 $2.16
$2.52 MX$46.85
-14.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.54 $6.54
$7.26 MX$135
-9.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.37 $5.37
$7.70 MX$143
-30.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.53 $7.53
$12.69 MX$236
-40.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 $2.24
$2.78 MX$51.7
-19.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 $1.23
$1.37 MX$25.41
-10.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.31 $1.31
$2.55 MX$47.37
-48.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.13 $1.13
$2.12 MX$39.43
-46.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 $1.21
$1.94 MX$36.00
-37.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.89 MX$35.02
-45.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 $0.92
$1.15 MX$21.29
-20.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.18 MX$21.89
-12.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.87 $5.87
$4.30 MX$79.8
36.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.44 $8.44
$9.95 MX$185
-15.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 $1.58
$1.58 MX$29.41
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 $3.16
$2.67 MX$49.60
18.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Quevedo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 $0.34
$0.55 MX$10.28
-38.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$494
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.54 $1.54
$4.97 MX$92.3
-69.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 $1.46
$3.33 MX$61.9
-56.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.17 $10.17
$5.36 MX$99.5
89.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 $0.86
$1.44 MX$26.82
-40.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.1K $23.1K
$20.7K MX$383.8K
11.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.4K $30.4K
$23.5K MX$435.8K
29.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Quevedo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$28.24 $28.24
$84.8 MX$1,575
-66.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.70 $17.70
$23.41 MX$435
-24.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.48 $28.48
$28.66 MX$532
-0.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Quevedo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.67 $29.67
$57.1 MX$1,059
-47.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.14 $16.14
$28.91 MX$537
-44.17%
Cinema Ticket
$6.75 $6.75
$5.14 MX$95.4
31.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Quevedo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$753 $753
$207 MX$3,836
264.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,114 $9,114
$3,927 MX$72.9K
132.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Quevedo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.0 $70.0
$43.35 MX$805
61.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.6 $50.6
$41.44 MX$770
21.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 $116
$74.2 MX$1,378
56.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 $106
$89.3 MX$1,657
18.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Quevedo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$401 $401
$980 MX$18.2K
-59.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$243 $243
$381 MX$7,072
-36.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$869 $869
$1,708 MX$31.7K
-49.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$505 $505
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-53.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$73.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$114.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Quevedo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.12
11.45
-11.62%

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

Last update for Quevedo: October 25, 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
Quevedo
$243
Playa del Carmen
$381 56.5% $137
Groceries & Markets
Quevedo
$193
Playa del Carmen
$255 32.1% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Quevedo
$154
Playa del Carmen
$112 27.5% $42
Eating Out
Quevedo
$146
Playa del Carmen
$202 38.5% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Quevedo
$74
Playa del Carmen
$137 83.9% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Quevedo
$43
Playa del Carmen
$67 56% $24
Getting Around
Quevedo
$10 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 394% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $401 in Quevedo 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Quevedo versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Quevedo vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Quevedo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇪🇨 Quevedo
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
00:36 12:36 AM
00:36 12:36 AM
Same time as Quevedo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
300,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Quevedo Playa del Carmen 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Quevedo
  • 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
Quevedo vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Quevedo cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,296 per month in Quevedo and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Quevedo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $401 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Quevedo and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $864 in Quevedo and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Quevedo about 28% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $753 per month in Quevedo and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Quevedo or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Quevedo, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Quevedo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Quevedo or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $864 in Quevedo to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Quevedo vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?