Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tapachula and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Tapachula and in Playa del Carmen: $1,164 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tapachula
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Tapachula Living Index
59

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

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Tapachula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,164

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,164 per month in Tapachula vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tapachula $1,164
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,828 per month in Tapachula vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tapachula $1,828
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,493 per month in Tapachula vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tapachula $2,493
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Tapachula is about 3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Tapachula and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tapachula 14% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.44 MX$193

$10.86 MX$201

-3.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.58 MX$750

$44.21 MX$817

-8.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 MX$146

$11.76 MX$217

-32.82%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$3.68 MX$68.0

0.82%

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

$1.27 MX$23.45

$1.34 MX$24.79

-5.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.35

$0.82 MX$15.24

41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.58

$3.06 MX$56.6

-21.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 MX$69.3

$4.94 MX$91.2

-24.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.77

$1.47 MX$27.17

6.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$49.05

$2.22 MX$40.95

19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.96

$1.48 MX$27.32

9.46%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.94

$2.49 MX$45.99

-2.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 MX$149

$7.52 MX$139

7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 MX$154

$7.96 MX$147

4.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 MX$212

$12.57 MX$232

-8.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.72

$2.78 MX$51.3

-16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.23

$1.43 MX$26.37

10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.50

$2.62 MX$48.37

-20.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.81

$2.14 MX$39.49

-14.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.94

$2.02 MX$37.38

-6.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.37

$1.99 MX$36.74

-9.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 MX$29.91

$1.14 MX$21.01

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.12

$1.20 MX$22.18

-9.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.0

$4.26 MX$78.7

0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 MX$170

$10.02 MX$185

-8.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$1.54 MX$28.41

11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.66 MX$49.17

14.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$11.19

$0.53 MX$9.73

15.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.11

$4.90 MX$90.6

-45.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 MX$31.45

$3.43 MX$63.5

-50.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 MX$185

$5.38 MX$99.4

85.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.73

$1.45 MX$26.76

-7.59%

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

$25.3K MX$467.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

19.45%

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

$23.0K MX$424.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-0.15%

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

$54.4 MX$1,006

$85.4 MX$1,577

-36.22%

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

$23.70 MX$438

$23.46 MX$434

1.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 MX$498

$28.43 MX$525

-5.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.17 MX$687

$62.2 MX$1,149

-40.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.73 MX$346

$28.68 MX$530

-34.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MX$92.6

$5.10 MX$94.3

-1.76%

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

$245 MX$4,528

$201 MX$3,715

21.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,825 MX$89.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

22.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 MX$1,060

$44.39 MX$820

29.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.06 MX$759

$41.35 MX$764

-0.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,820

$72.7 MX$1,344

35.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 MX$1,696

$89.6 MX$1,656

2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 MX$12.4K

$979 MX$18.1K

-31.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 MX$7,904

$373 MX$6,887

14.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 MX$20.0K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-35.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$14.2K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-29.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,952 MX$36.1K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-50.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 MX$20.1K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-82.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.45

-1.31%

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

Last update for Tapachula: October 18, 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

Tapachula

$428 36.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 12.9% $55

Groceries & Markets

Tapachula

$259 22.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Tapachula

$181 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 10.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Tapachula

$130 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tapachula

$105 9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Tapachula

$47 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 53.4% $25

Getting Around

Tapachula

$14 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 280% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $673 in Tapachula 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 $41.00 in Tapachula versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Tapachula vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tapachula

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

08:16 8:16 AM

1 h ahead of Tapachula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,550

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

Tapachula Playa del Carmen 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tapachula
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,745 per month in Tapachula 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 Tapachula, 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 $1,164 in Tapachula and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $245 per month in Tapachula 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 Tapachula, where all-in costs run around $1,164, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tapachula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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