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 12.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 16.3% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Side is 16.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 27.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.83 β‚Ί346
$11.85 MX$212
-33.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.74 β‚Ί1,005
$42.16 MX$755
-46.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.21 β‚Ί274
$10.75 MX$192
-42.23%
Cappuccino
$2.69 β‚Ί119
$3.47 MX$62.2
-22.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.76 β‚Ί77.6
$1.45 MX$26.01
21.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 β‚Ί20.42
$0.90 MX$16.16
-48.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 β‚Ί138
$3.05 MX$54.7
2.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 β‚Ί178
$4.42 MX$79.1
-8.60%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.84 β‚Ί36.98
$1.37 MX$24.51
-38.69%
White Bread (500g)
$0.98 β‚Ί43.35
$1.87 MX$33.51
-47.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 β‚Ί40.52
$1.54 MX$27.63
-40.26%
Eggs
$1.73 β‚Ί76.2
$2.50 MX$44.81
-30.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.06 β‚Ί356
$8.61 MX$154
-6.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.33 β‚Ί236
$8.63 MX$155
-38.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.51 β‚Ί730
$11.02 MX$197
49.82%
Apples (1kg)
$1.01 β‚Ί44.62
$2.75 MX$49.22
-63.27%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 β‚Ί90.7
$1.43 MX$25.56
43.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.73 β‚Ί32.11
$1.87 MX$33.52
-60.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.10 β‚Ί48.63
$2.17 MX$38.80
-49.31%
Potato (1kg)
$0.57 β‚Ί24.98
$1.88 MX$33.70
-69.68%
Onion (1kg)
$0.45 β‚Ί19.94
$2.25 MX$40.21
-80.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 β‚Ί58.4
$1.07 MX$19.11
23.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 β‚Ί13.88
$1.07 MX$19.22
-71.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.04 β‚Ί90.3
$4.15 MX$74.4
-50.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.03 β‚Ί399
$10.34 MX$185
-12.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 β‚Ί75.2
$1.68 MX$30.06
1.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 β‚Ί94.1
$2.48 MX$44.46
-14.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.66 β‚Ί29.35
$0.55 MX$9.93
20.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.33 β‚Ί1,340
$26.53 MX$475
14.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 β‚Ί48.35
$3.22 MX$57.6
-66.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.66 β‚Ί29.00
$2.48 MX$44.42
-73.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.58 β‚Ί335
$3.11 MX$55.7
143.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 β‚Ί50.9
$1.26 MX$22.48
-8.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.3K β‚Ί1.8M
$30.7K MX$548.8K
31.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K β‚Ί1.8M
$24.0K MX$430.3K
70.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.32 β‚Ί2,135
$82.5 MX$1,476
-41.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.80 β‚Ί345
$22.29 MX$399
-65.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.41 β‚Ί283
$30.02 MX$537
-78.65%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.56 β‚Ί1,925
$51.4 MX$921
-15.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$327
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.46 β‚Ί285
$4.98 MX$89.2
29.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$615 β‚Ί27.2K
$200 MX$3,580
207.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,809 β‚Ί389.2K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
66.07%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.1 β‚Ί3,318
$35.71 MX$639
110.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 β‚Ί2,022
$39.56 MX$708
15.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$158 β‚Ί6,993
$80.6 MX$1,442
96.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 β‚Ί4,975
$88.3 MX$1,581
27.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$510 β‚Ί22.5K
$969 MX$17.4K
-47.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$389 β‚Ί17.2K
$482 MX$8,632
-19.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$874 β‚Ί38.6K
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-45.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$719 β‚Ί31.8K
$1,184 MX$21.2K
-39.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,564 β‚Ί69.1K
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-61.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$965 β‚Ί42.6K
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-85.20%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Side
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$756 MX$13.5K
-
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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 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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