Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan de Pasto and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
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San Juan de Pasto Living Index
57

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

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San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,463

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,463 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $1,463
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,144
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,825 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,825
Playa del Carmen $2,962

San Juan de Pasto costs about 22% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

San Juan de Pasto sits 8% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 COP 28.5K

$10.67 MX$200

-17.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$43.80 MX$819

7.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 COP 33.9K

$11.79 MX$220

-10.94%

Cappuccino

$2.89 COP 9,347

$3.79 MX$70.8

-23.75%

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

$1.42 COP 4,595

$1.30 MX$24.26

9.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 COP 3,898

$0.83 MX$15.59

45.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 COP 11.1K

$3.15 MX$58.9

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 COP 11.7K

$4.93 MX$92.3

-26.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,202

$1.41 MX$26.35

14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 COP 7,712

$2.20 MX$41.07

8.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 COP 6,654

$1.47 MX$27.54

40.14%

Eggs

$3.46 COP 11.2K

$2.50 MX$46.70

38.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 COP 23.1K

$7.29 MX$136

-1.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 COP 32.7K

$7.95 MX$149

27.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 COP 38.2K

$12.86 MX$241

-7.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 COP 12.1K

$2.90 MX$54.2

29.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,424

$1.38 MX$25.87

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,533

$2.49 MX$46.59

-31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 COP 6,010

$2.03 MX$37.97

-8.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 COP 5,794

$2.02 MX$37.88

-11.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 COP 5,566

$1.90 MX$35.60

-9.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 COP 3,321

$1.14 MX$21.41

-9.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,253

$1.24 MX$23.17

6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 COP 15.2K

$4.27 MX$79.9

10.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 COP 40.7K

$9.81 MX$184

28.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,113

$1.59 MX$29.66

-20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 COP 8,421

$2.75 MX$51.3

-5.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 COP 3,586

$0.51 MX$9.63

117.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 COP 216.0K

$27.39 MX$512

144.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 COP 5,267

$4.76 MX$89.1

-65.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,752

$3.25 MX$60.8

-35.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 COP 25.4K

$5.39 MX$101

45.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,159

$1.53 MX$28.58

-15.69%

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

$39.0K COP 126.1M

$21.2K MX$396.8K

84.07%

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

$33.3K COP 107.5M

$23.3K MX$435.1K

43.16%

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

$129 COP 415.6K

$83.5 MX$1,562

54.16%

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

$13.90 COP 44.9K

$23.19 MX$434

-40.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 COP 96.9K

$27.61 MX$516

8.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 COP 106.6K

$56.4 MX$1,056

-41.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 25.3K

$5.00 MX$93.5

56.80%

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

$581 COP 1.9M

$207 MX$3,873

180.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K COP 44.8M

$5,231 MX$97.8K

165.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 COP 303.2K

$43.45 MX$813

116.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.34 COP 159.3K

$42.54 MX$796

15.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 COP 394.3K

$72.8 MX$1,361

67.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 COP 306.4K

$88.4 MX$1,653

7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 COP 2.5M

$995 MX$18.6K

-21.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 COP 1.8M

$382 MX$7,152

42.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 COP 4.7M

$1,674 MX$31.3K

-12.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 COP 2.6M

$1,081 MX$20.2K

-26.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,112 COP 6.8M

$3,909 MX$73.1K

-45.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,582 COP 5.1M

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-74.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.80%

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

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan de Pasto

$546 37.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 29.9% $163

Groceries & Markets

San Juan de Pasto

$278 19%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 7.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan de Pasto

$173 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 22.2% $38

Eating Out

San Juan de Pasto

$172 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 16.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan de Pasto

$162 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 31.4% $51

Getting Around

San Juan de Pasto

$83 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 39.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan de Pasto

$49 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 36.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $780 in San Juan de Pasto versus $995 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 $47 in San Juan de Pasto versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $278 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

Same time as San Juan de Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

149,923

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Juan de Pasto Playa del Carmen 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Juan de Pasto
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

San Juan de Pasto vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Juan de Pasto is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,194 per month in San Juan de Pasto and $1,804 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 San Juan de Pasto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $780 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.