Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soledad and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,285 in Soledad, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Soledad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Soledad
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Soledad Living Index
59

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

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Soledad

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,285

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Soledad vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Soledad $1,285
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,009 per month in Soledad vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Soledad $2,009
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,733 per month in Soledad vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Soledad $2,733
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Soledad costs about 7% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Soledad and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Soledad 5% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.68 COP 18.0K

$10.86 MX$201

-47.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.72 COP 135.5K

$44.21 MX$817

-3.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 COP 32.1K

$11.76 MX$217

-14.03%

Cappuccino

$2.56 COP 8,125

$3.68 MX$68.0

-30.43%

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

$2.59 COP 8,209

$1.34 MX$24.79

93.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,472

$0.82 MX$15.24

187.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 COP 10.1K

$3.06 MX$56.6

4.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 COP 16.2K

$4.94 MX$91.2

3.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 COP 5,855

$1.47 MX$27.17

25.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 COP 8,797

$2.22 MX$40.95

24.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,515

$1.48 MX$27.32

-4.05%

Eggs

$4.86 COP 15.4K

$2.49 MX$45.99

95.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 COP 25.7K

$7.52 MX$139

7.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.73 COP 30.8K

$7.96 MX$147

22.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.04 COP 38.2K

$12.57 MX$232

-4.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 COP 10.9K

$2.78 MX$51.3

23.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 COP 4,557

$1.43 MX$26.37

0.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,044

$2.62 MX$48.37

-27.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 COP 5,924

$2.14 MX$39.49

-12.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,696

$2.02 MX$37.38

-26.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,582

$1.99 MX$36.74

-27.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,639

$1.14 MX$21.01

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 3,821

$1.20 MX$22.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 COP 12.0K

$4.26 MX$78.7

-10.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 COP 45.0K

$10.02 MX$185

41.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,510

$1.54 MX$28.41

-7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 COP 7,693

$2.66 MX$49.17

-8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 COP 3,580

$0.53 MX$9.73

113.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 COP 4,996

$4.90 MX$90.6

-67.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.77 COP 11.9K

$3.43 MX$63.5

9.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.62 COP 30.5K

$5.38 MX$99.4

78.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,076

$1.45 MX$26.76

-11.03%

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

$23.1K COP 73.2M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

9.11%

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

$34.5K COP 109.3M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

49.79%

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

$79.3 COP 251.6K

$85.4 MX$1,577

-7.05%

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

$13.19 COP 41.8K

$23.46 MX$434

-43.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.39 COP 93.2K

$28.43 MX$525

3.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.82 COP 119.9K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-39.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$5.10 MX$94.3

62.75%

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

$625 COP 2.0M

$201 MX$3,715

210.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,862 COP 18.6M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

48.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 COP 264.3K

$44.39 MX$820

87.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 COP 173.7K

$41.35 MX$764

32.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 COP 432.3K

$72.7 MX$1,344

87.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 COP 329.1K

$89.6 MX$1,656

15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 COP 2.0M

$979 MX$18.1K

-34.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 COP 1.5M

$373 MX$6,887

26.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 COP 3.2M

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-40.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$884 COP 2.8M

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-19.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,957 COP 6.2M

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-50.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,665 COP 5.3M

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-72.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

31.00%

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

Last update for Soledad: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Soledad

$471 36.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 20.9% $99

Groceries & Markets

Soledad

$290 22.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 10.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Soledad

$170 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34.4% $59

Eating Out

Soledad

$153 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 31.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soledad

$122 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 12.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Soledad

$54 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 33% $18

Getting Around

Soledad

$25 * 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 107% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $639 in Soledad versus $979 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 $43.00 in Soledad versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Soledad vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Soledad

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

Same time as Soledad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,156

149,923

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Soledad Playa del Carmen 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Soledad
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

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

Yes – Soledad is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,928 per month in Soledad and $1,806 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 Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,285 in Soledad and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Soledad and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Soledad at $1,285. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Soledad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Soledad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.