Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tena and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $891 per month in Tena vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tena $891
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,475 per month in Tena vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tena $1,475
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,060 per month in Tena vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tena $2,060
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Tena is about 26% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tena and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tena 34% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 $5.63

$10.67 MX$199

-47.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 $54.8

$43.80 MX$815

25.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.58 $7.58

$11.79 MX$219

-35.71%

Cappuccino

$3.34 $3.34

$3.79 MX$70.5

-11.87%

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

$1.43 $1.43

$1.30 MX$24.14

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.83 MX$15.51

26.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.15 MX$58.6

8.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 $6.12

$4.93 MX$91.8

24.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.41 MX$26.22

-19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.20 MX$40.86

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.47 MX$27.40

2.72%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$2.50 MX$46.46

-16.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$7.29 MX$136

-10.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$7.95 MX$148

-31.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 $7.67

$12.86 MX$239

-40.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.90 MX$53.9

-19.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.38 MX$25.74

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.49 MX$46.35

-49.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.03 MX$37.77

-44.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.02 MX$37.68

-41.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.90 MX$35.42

-43.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.14 MX$21.30

-23.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.24 MX$23.05

-19.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.27 MX$79.5

38.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.27 $8.27

$9.81 MX$183

-15.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.59 MX$29.51

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.75 MX$51.1

12.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$0.51 MX$9.58

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$4.76 MX$88.6

-67.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 $0.75

$3.25 MX$60.5

-76.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.91 $9.91

$5.39 MX$100

83.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.53 MX$28.44

-43.79%

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

$23.4K $23.4K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

10.23%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

29.38%

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

$28.50 $28.50

$83.5 MX$1,554

-65.86%

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

$17.84 $17.84

$23.19 MX$431

-23.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.34 $28.34

$27.61 MX$514

2.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.89 $29.89

$56.4 MX$1,050

-47.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.69 $16.69

$28.19 MX$525

-40.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 $6.50

$5.00 MX$93.1

30.00%

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

$729 $729

$207 MX$3,854

251.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,064 $9,064

$5,231 MX$97.3K

73.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 $71.3

$43.45 MX$809

64.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$42.54 MX$792

18.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$72.8 MX$1,354

59.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$88.4 MX$1,645

23.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 $422

$995 MX$18.5K

-57.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 $270

$382 MX$7,116

-29.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 $802

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-52.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 $507

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-53.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.45

-11.62%

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

Last update for Tena: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tena

$270 30.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 41.4% $112

Groceries & Markets

Tena

$193 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 33.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Tena

$156 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 28.7% $45

Eating Out

Tena

$147 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 36.1% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tena

$75 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 79.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Tena

$43 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 54.9% $24

Getting Around

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 661% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Tena versus $995 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 $55 in Tena versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Tena vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Tena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tena

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

Same time as Tena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,669

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tena Playa del Carmen 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tena
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,336 per month in Tena and $1,804 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 Tena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $891 in Tena and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Tena about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $729 per month in Tena and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tena, where all-in costs run around $891, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Tena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $891 in Tena to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.