Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepic and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Tepic and in Playa del Carmen: $1,221 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index
58

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

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Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,221

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,221 per month in Tepic vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tepic $1,221
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,884 per month in Tepic vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tepic $1,884
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,548 per month in Tepic vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tepic $2,548
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Tepic costs about 1% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tepic and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tepic 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.22 MX$247

$10.92 MX$204

21.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.16 MX$806

$43.37 MX$810

-0.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 MX$169

$11.78 MX$220

-23.34%

Cappuccino

$3.17 MX$59.2

$3.81 MX$71.2

-16.80%

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

$1.58 MX$29.49

$1.28 MX$23.96

23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.28

$0.78 MX$14.63

46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 MX$50.5

$3.17 MX$59.2

-14.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MX$93.1

$4.93 MX$92.2

1.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$29.02

$1.41 MX$26.28

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 MX$43.97

$2.22 MX$41.43

5.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.42

$1.42 MX$26.48

10.56%

Eggs

$2.12 MX$39.62

$2.52 MX$47.14

-15.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 MX$91.8

$7.26 MX$136

-32.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 MX$181

$7.70 MX$144

25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.54 MX$216

$12.69 MX$237

-9.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MX$50.0

$2.78 MX$52.0

-3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$1.37 MX$25.56

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.20

$2.55 MX$47.66

-23.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.93

$2.12 MX$39.67

-16.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.56

$1.94 MX$36.22

6.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$1.89 MX$35.24

-2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 MX$29.12

$1.15 MX$21.42

35.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.39

$1.18 MX$22.03

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$4.30 MX$80.3

1.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 MX$194

$9.95 MX$186

4.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.51

$1.58 MX$29.59

-50.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 MX$62.5

$2.67 MX$49.91

25.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MX$14.42

$0.55 MX$10.34

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.37 MX$567

$26.62 MX$497

14.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 MX$40.99

$4.97 MX$92.9

-55.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 MX$28.22

$3.33 MX$62.2

-54.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 MX$174

$5.36 MX$100

73.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.24

$1.44 MX$26.98

-2.78%

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

$21.2K MX$395.5K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

2.42%

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

$23.7K MX$442.9K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

1.00%

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

$43.90 MX$820

$84.8 MX$1,584

-48.23%

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

$12.02 MX$225

$23.41 MX$437

-48.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.28 MX$547

$28.66 MX$535

2.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.78 MX$594

$57.1 MX$1,066

-44.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.42 MX$326

$28.91 MX$540

-39.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 MX$111

$5.14 MX$96.0

15.18%

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

$237 MX$4,426

$207 MX$3,860

14.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,948 MX$185.9K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

153.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 MX$1,049

$43.35 MX$810

29.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 MX$752

$41.44 MX$774

-2.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,944

$74.2 MX$1,386

40.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 MX$1,469

$89.3 MX$1,668

-11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 MX$10.6K

$980 MX$18.3K

-42.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MX$8,727

$381 MX$7,116

22.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 MX$20.8K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-34.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 MX$14.3K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-28.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,934 MX$36.1K

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-50.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 MX$21.1K

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-81.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 MX$12.2K

$735 MX$13.7K

-11.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.53

11.45

0.70%

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

Last update for Tepic: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Tepic

$467 38.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 18.5% $86

Groceries & Markets

Tepic

$251 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.6% $4

Eating Out

Tepic

$205 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 1.4% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Tepic

$126 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 11% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tepic

$85 7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Tepic

$44 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 54.4% $24

Getting Around

Tepic

$43 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 16.8% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $567 in Tepic versus $980 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 13% 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 $43 in Tepic versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $255 – making Tepic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tepic

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

23:08 11:08 PM

2 h ahead of Tepic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

371,387

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Tepic Playa del Carmen 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tepic
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

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

Yes – Tepic is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,831 per month in Tepic 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 Tepic, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $237 per month in Tepic and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,221 in Tepic and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,221 in Tepic. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.