Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tacarigua and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacarigua: $765 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tacarigua, Trinidad And Tobago
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tacarigua
🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago
$765
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $765 per month in Tacarigua vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tacarigua $765
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,312 per month in Tacarigua vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tacarigua $1,312
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Tacarigua vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tacarigua $1,858
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Tacarigua is about 36% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Tacarigua and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tacarigua 44% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tacarigua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.18 TTD 68.3
$10.92 MX$205
-6.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.2 TTD 397
$43.37 MX$814
36.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.93 TTD 53.2
$11.78 MX$221
-32.68%
Cappuccino
$3.76 TTD 25.23
$3.81 MX$71.5
-1.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 TTD 6.66
$1.28 MX$24.07
-22.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 TTD 4.85
$0.78 MX$14.70
-7.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.89 TTD 12.68
$3.17 MX$59.5
-40.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 TTD 17.12
$4.93 MX$92.7
-48.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tacarigua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 TTD 13.25
$1.41 MX$26.40
39.72%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 TTD 15.27
$2.22 MX$41.62
2.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.79 TTD 18.75
$1.42 MX$26.61
96.48%
Eggs
$3.85 TTD 25.84
$2.52 MX$47.36
52.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.61 TTD 44.35
$7.26 MX$136
-8.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.11 TTD 67.8
$7.70 MX$144
31.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.99 TTD 60.3
$12.69 MX$238
-29.16%
Apples (1kg)
$5.39 TTD 36.20
$2.78 MX$52.3
93.88%
Banana (1kg)
$2.47 TTD 16.58
$1.37 MX$25.68
80.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.61 TTD 24.19
$2.55 MX$47.89
41.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.22 TTD 28.30
$2.12 MX$39.86
99.06%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 TTD 4.79
$1.94 MX$36.39
-63.40%
Onion (1kg)
$0.76 TTD 5.11
$1.89 MX$35.41
-59.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 TTD 10.02
$1.15 MX$21.53
29.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 TTD 7.69
$1.18 MX$22.13
-2.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.50 TTD 36.91
$4.30 MX$80.6
27.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.42 TTD 117
$9.95 MX$187
75.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 TTD 10.11
$1.58 MX$29.73
-4.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 TTD 19.95
$2.67 MX$50.1
11.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Tacarigua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.55 MX$10.39
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$500
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.86 TTD 5.78
$4.97 MX$93.3
-82.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.93 TTD 6.25
$3.33 MX$62.5
-72.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.51 TTD 97.4
$5.36 MX$101
170.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 TTD 7.76
$1.44 MX$27.11
-19.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.3K TTD 243.6K
$20.7K MX$388.0K
75.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K TTD 274.9K
$23.5K MX$440.5K
74.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tacarigua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.88 TTD 301
$84.8 MX$1,592
-47.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.74 TTD 280
$23.41 MX$439
78.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.94 TTD 302
$28.66 MX$538
56.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tacarigua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$57.1 MX$1,071
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$543
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.09 TTD 61.0
$5.14 MX$96.5
76.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tacarigua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$406 TTD 2,725
$207 MX$3,878
96.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K TTD 73.9K
$3,927 MX$73.7K
180.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tacarigua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 TTD 372
$43.35 MX$814
27.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.45 TTD 251
$41.44 MX$778
-9.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.9 TTD 603
$74.2 MX$1,393
21.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.9 TTD 603
$89.3 MX$1,676
0.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tacarigua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$980 MX$18.4K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$381 MX$7,150
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$74.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$115.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tacarigua
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.75
11.45
-49.78%

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

Last update for Tacarigua: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Tacarigua
$315
Playa del Carmen
$255 19.2% $61
Eating Out
Tacarigua
$172
Playa del Carmen
$202 17.8% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tacarigua
$132
Playa del Carmen
$137 4% $5.3
Clothing & Footwear
Tacarigua
$123
Playa del Carmen
$112 8.9% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Tacarigua
$18 *
Playa del Carmen
$67 270% $49
Getting Around
Tacarigua
$5.5 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 814% $45
Accommodation & Living
Tacarigua
- *
Playa del Carmen
$381

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Tacarigua versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇹 Tacarigua
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
22:01 10:01 PM
21:01 9:01 PM
1 h behind Tacarigua
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,067
149,923
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tacarigua Playa del Carmen 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Tacarigua
  • 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
Tacarigua vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tacarigua cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,148 per month in Tacarigua and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Tacarigua and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $765 in Tacarigua and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Tacarigua about 36% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $406 per month in Tacarigua and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Tacarigua or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tacarigua, where all-in costs run around $765, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tacarigua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Tacarigua or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $765 in Tacarigua to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Tacarigua vs other spots: cost of living compared

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