Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $978 per month in Quito vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Quito $978
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,586 per month in Quito vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Quito $1,586
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,194 per month in Quito vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Quito $2,194
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Quito is about 19% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quito and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Quito 28% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$10.76 MX$199

-43.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$43.03 MX$795

28.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$11.79 MX$218

-35.45%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$3.87 MX$71.4

-12.14%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$1.37 MX$25.29

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.84 MX$15.44

29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.10 MX$57.3

10.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$5.07 MX$93.6

19.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.44 MX$26.55

-20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.23 MX$41.23

-28.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.47 MX$27.17

7.48%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$2.53 MX$46.71

-16.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$7.30 MX$135

-9.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$7.86 MX$145

-29.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$12.79 MX$236

-40.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.90 MX$53.6

-22.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.44 MX$26.53

-17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.55 MX$47.07

-47.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.06 MX$38.03

-45.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.00 MX$36.97

-38.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.01 MX$37.07

-49.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.19 MX$22.02

-22.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.26 MX$23.23

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$4.40 MX$81.4

40.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$9.59 MX$177

5.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.59 MX$29.41

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.81 MX$51.9

9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.57 MX$10.47

-36.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

$27.82 MX$514

-23.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$4.98 MX$92.1

-69.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.50 MX$64.6

-57.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

$5.40 MX$99.8

82.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.47 MX$27.08

-44.90%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

1.27%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

16.70%

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

$28.75 $28.75

$84.2 MX$1,556

-65.86%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$23.99 MX$443

-25.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$29.02 MX$536

-2.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$63.0 MX$1,164

-26.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$29.14 MX$539

-39.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$4.94 MX$91.3

28.34%

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

$739 $739

$204 MX$3,763

262.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

$3,941 MX$72.8K

126.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$43.60 MX$806

62.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$43.12 MX$797

16.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$75.8 MX$1,400

50.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$88.6 MX$1,637

21.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-51.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$374 MX$6,911

-17.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-45.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-51.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-55.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-88.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$754 MX$13.9K

-21.28%

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 Quito: October 10, 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

Quito

$309 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 21.1% $65

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 30.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 26.8% $41

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 33.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 83.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 24% $14

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 65.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $491 in Quito 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 27% 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 $55.0 in Quito versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Quito vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

Same time as Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quito Playa del Carmen 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Quito
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,467 per month in Quito 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 Quito, 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 $978 in Quito and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 24%.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Quito. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Quito. 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.