Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tehuacan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Tehuacan and in Playa del Carmen: $1,188 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

Tehuacan
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,188
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,188 per month in Tehuacan vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tehuacan $1,188
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,914 per month in Tehuacan vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tehuacan $1,914
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,641 per month in Tehuacan vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tehuacan $2,641
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Tehuacan is about 1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tehuacan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tehuacan 12% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tehuacan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.08 MX$205
$10.86 MX$201
2.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$809
$44.21 MX$817
-0.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.86 MX$164
$11.76 MX$217
-24.66%
Cappuccino
$3.24 MX$59.8
$3.68 MX$68.0
-11.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 MX$24.41
$1.34 MX$24.79
-1.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.14
$0.82 MX$15.24
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 MX$39.53
$3.06 MX$56.6
-30.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 MX$64.3
$4.94 MX$91.2
-29.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tehuacan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 MX$33.16
$1.47 MX$27.17
21.77%
White Bread (500g)
$3.16 MX$58.5
$2.22 MX$40.95
42.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 MX$40.85
$1.48 MX$27.32
49.32%
Eggs
$3.09 MX$57.0
$2.49 MX$45.99
24.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.93 MX$147
$7.52 MX$139
5.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.22 MX$152
$7.96 MX$147
3.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.04 MX$167
$12.57 MX$232
-28.08%
Apples (1kg)
$4.33 MX$80.1
$2.78 MX$51.3
55.76%
Banana (1kg)
$2.00 MX$37.03
$1.43 MX$26.37
39.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 MX$42.96
$2.62 MX$48.37
-11.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 MX$42.23
$2.14 MX$39.49
7.01%
Potato (1kg)
$2.96 MX$54.7
$2.02 MX$37.38
46.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.46 MX$45.49
$1.99 MX$36.74
23.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.67 MX$30.84
$1.14 MX$21.01
46.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 MX$18.62
$1.20 MX$22.18
-15.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.07 MX$93.8
$4.26 MX$78.7
19.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.70 MX$235
$10.02 MX$185
26.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 MX$37.27
$1.54 MX$28.41
31.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 MX$70.0
$2.66 MX$49.17
42.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Tehuacan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 MX$12.76
$0.53 MX$9.73
30.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.20 MX$59.1
$4.90 MX$90.6
-34.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.94 MX$35.92
$3.43 MX$63.5
-43.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.23 MX$189
$5.38 MX$99.4
90.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.20
$1.45 MX$26.76
-9.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K MX$502.3K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
28.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$434.1K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
2.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tehuacan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$58.2 MX$1,076
$85.4 MX$1,577
-31.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.71 MX$475
$23.46 MX$434
9.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.63 MX$603
$28.43 MX$525
14.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tehuacan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.54 MX$638
$62.2 MX$1,149
-44.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.90 MX$368
$28.68 MX$530
-30.61%
Cinema Ticket
$7.01 MX$130
$5.10 MX$94.3
37.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tehuacan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$230 MX$4,255
$201 MX$3,715
14.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,188 MX$95.9K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
31.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tehuacan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.6 MX$1,212
$44.39 MX$820
47.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.8 MX$994
$41.35 MX$764
30.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 MX$1,942
$72.7 MX$1,344
44.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 MX$1,971
$89.6 MX$1,656
19.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tehuacan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$609 MX$11.3K
$979 MX$18.1K
-37.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,112
$373 MX$6,887
3.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 MX$19.0K
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-38.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$763 MX$14.1K
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-30.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,939 MX$35.8K
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-50.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,168 MX$21.6K
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-80.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tehuacan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.07
11.45
-3.32%

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

Last update for Tehuacan: 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
Tehuacan
$385
Playa del Carmen
$373 3.1% $12
Groceries & Markets
Tehuacan
$293
Playa del Carmen
$258 11.8% $34
Eating Out
Tehuacan
$180
Playa del Carmen
$200 11% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Tehuacan
$149
Playa del Carmen
$112 25.1% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tehuacan
$117
Playa del Carmen
$137 17.7% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Tehuacan
$49
Playa del Carmen
$72 49.1% $24
Getting Around
Tehuacan
$16 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 230% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $609 in Tehuacan 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 $44.00 in Tehuacan versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Tehuacan vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Tehuacan
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
02:08 2:08 AM
03:08 3:08 AM
1 h ahead of Tehuacan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
293,825
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tehuacan Playa del Carmen 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tehuacan
  • 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
Tehuacan vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Tehuacan?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,782 per month in Tehuacan and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tehuacan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Tehuacan and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,188 in Tehuacan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 1%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Tehuacan and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Tehuacan or in Playa del Carmen?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tehuacan, where all-in costs run around $1,188, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tehuacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Tehuacan or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tehuacan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Tehuacan. 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.

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