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Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Playa del Carmen

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Side is 29.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 14.8% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Side is 8.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 27.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.55 β‚Ί327
$11.88 MX$210
-36.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.14 β‚Ί1,001
$41.90 MX$740
-44.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.39 β‚Ί277
$10.55 MX$186
-39.43%
Cappuccino
$2.71 β‚Ί117
$3.60 MX$63.5
-24.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 β‚Ί72.2
$1.50 MX$26.45
11.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 β‚Ί18.53
$0.91 MX$16.09
-52.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.04 β‚Ί131
$3.08 MX$54.4
-1.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.07 β‚Ί176
$4.47 MX$78.8
-8.95%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.90 β‚Ί38.85
$1.39 MX$24.54
-35.25%
White Bread (500g)
$0.97 β‚Ί42.15
$1.90 MX$33.47
-48.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.85 β‚Ί36.59
$1.60 MX$28.27
-46.88%
Eggs
$1.76 β‚Ί76.2
$2.60 MX$45.97
-32.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.03 β‚Ί347
$8.36 MX$148
-3.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.32 β‚Ί230
$8.64 MX$152
-38.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.28 β‚Ί704
$10.91 MX$192
49.22%
Apples (1kg)
$1.03 β‚Ί44.65
$2.61 MX$45.98
-60.54%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 β‚Ί90.4
$1.44 MX$25.46
45.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.73 β‚Ί31.72
$1.96 MX$34.55
-62.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.16 β‚Ί50.0
$2.12 MX$37.34
-45.28%
Potato (1kg)
$0.55 β‚Ί23.96
$1.86 MX$32.87
-70.43%
Onion (1kg)
$0.46 β‚Ί19.95
$2.22 MX$39.20
-79.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 β‚Ί56.8
$1.02 MX$17.99
28.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.32 β‚Ί13.71
$1.04 MX$18.36
-69.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.07 β‚Ί89.5
$4.05 MX$71.5
-48.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.46 β‚Ί409
$10.18 MX$180
-7.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 β‚Ί70.3
$1.69 MX$29.79
-3.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 β‚Ί93.2
$2.62 MX$46.25
-17.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.66 β‚Ί28.61
$0.51 MX$9.09
29.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.38 β‚Ί1,314
$26.52 MX$468
14.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 β‚Ί47.06
$3.15 MX$55.7
-65.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 β‚Ί26.25
$2.46 MX$43.49
-75.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.76 β‚Ί336
$3.26 MX$57.5
138.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 β‚Ί50.6
$1.32 MX$23.36
-11.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.6K β‚Ί1.8M
$30.1K MX$531.0K
34.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.1K β‚Ί1.8M
$23.8K MX$419.3K
73.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.18 β‚Ί2,084
$83.5 MX$1,474
-42.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.82 β‚Ί338
$22.86 MX$404
-65.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.18 β‚Ί267
$30.04 MX$530
-79.43%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.06 β‚Ί1,863
$51.9 MX$916
-17.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.30 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 β‚Ί272
$5.12 MX$90.4
22.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$601 β‚Ί26.0K
$201 MX$3,541
199.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,745 β‚Ί378.3K
$5,318 MX$93.9K
64.43%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$76.0 β‚Ί3,287
$35.73 MX$631
112.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.31 β‚Ί1,917
$40.27 MX$711
10.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$158 β‚Ί6,831
$79.2 MX$1,398
99.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 β‚Ί4,791
$89.3 MX$1,576
24.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$513 β‚Ί22.2K
$947 MX$16.7K
-45.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$396 β‚Ί17.1K
$483 MX$8,525
-17.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$886 β‚Ί38.3K
$1,599 MX$28.2K
-44.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$723 β‚Ί31.3K
$1,211 MX$21.4K
-40.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,344 β‚Ί58.1K
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-66.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,005 β‚Ί43.5K
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-84.29%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$730 MX$12.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20
11.42
75.13%

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

Last update for Side: January 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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