Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tampico and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,322 in Tampico, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Tampico
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Tampico Living Index
59

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

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Tampico

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,322

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,322 per month in Tampico vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tampico $1,322
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,100 per month in Tampico vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tampico $2,100
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,878 per month in Tampico vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tampico $2,878
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Tampico costs about 9% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tampico and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tampico 2% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.25 MX$152

$10.76 MX$199

-23.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.2 MX$1,001

$43.03 MX$795

25.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.48 MX$175

$11.79 MX$218

-19.59%

Cappuccino

$3.15 MX$58.3

$3.87 MX$71.4

-18.60%

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

$1.17 MX$21.58

$1.37 MX$25.29

-14.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.76

$0.84 MX$15.44

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.27 MX$78.8

$3.10 MX$57.3

37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.1

$5.07 MX$93.6

-2.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.52

$1.44 MX$26.55

3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 MX$77.5

$2.23 MX$41.23

87.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 MX$24.69

$1.47 MX$27.17

-8.84%

Eggs

$3.96 MX$73.1

$2.53 MX$46.71

56.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.84 MX$89.4

$7.30 MX$135

-33.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 MX$189

$7.86 MX$145

30.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.40 MX$248

$12.79 MX$236

4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 MX$61.6

$2.90 MX$53.6

14.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 MX$21.71

$1.44 MX$26.53

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.05

$2.55 MX$47.07

-19.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 MX$41.24

$2.06 MX$38.03

8.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 MX$38.77

$2.00 MX$36.97

5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.6

$2.01 MX$37.07

36.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 MX$38.91

$1.19 MX$22.02

77.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$17.38

$1.26 MX$23.23

-25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.86 MX$89.8

$4.40 MX$81.4

10.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MX$29.85

$1.59 MX$29.41

1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.89

$0.57 MX$10.47

31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.48 MX$508

$27.82 MX$514

-1.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 MX$52.0

$4.98 MX$92.1

-43.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.50 MX$64.6

-19.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 MX$97.7

$5.40 MX$99.8

-2.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.21

$1.47 MX$27.08

-7.48%

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

$32.1K MX$593.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

53.01%

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

$23.7K MX$437.3K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-1.02%

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

$104 MX$1,919

$84.2 MX$1,556

23.33%

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

$27.06 MX$500

$23.99 MX$443

12.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 MX$433

$29.02 MX$536

-19.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.86 MX$810

$63.0 MX$1,164

-30.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 MX$305

$29.14 MX$539

-43.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.54 MX$102

$4.94 MX$91.3

12.15%

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

$272 MX$5,020

$204 MX$3,763

33.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 MX$150.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

106.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 MX$1,392

$43.60 MX$806

72.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 MX$1,192

$43.12 MX$797

49.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 MX$3,014

$75.8 MX$1,400

115.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$250 MX$4,621

$88.6 MX$1,637

182.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 MX$9,804

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-47.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 MX$6,993

$374 MX$6,911

1.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 MX$16.9K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$675 MX$12.5K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-39.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$547 MX$10.1K

$754 MX$13.9K

-27.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Tampico: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tampico

$378 28.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 1.2% $4.4

Groceries & Markets

Tampico

$266 * 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 3% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Tampico

$249 18.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 54.6% $136

Eating Out

Tampico

$171 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 18.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tampico

$154 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 11.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Tampico

$55 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 32.7% $18

Getting Around

Tampico

$47 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 11% $5.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $531 in Tampico versus $1,008 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.

Salaries run about 38% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Tampico versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tampico

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

1 h ahead of Tampico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,562

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tampico Playa del Carmen 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Tampico
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

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

Yes – Tampico is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,983 per month in Tampico and $1,816 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 $1,322 in Tampico and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 9%.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Tampico at $1,322. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tampico 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, Tampico makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.