Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toa Alta and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,238 in Toa Alta, rent and utilities included – about $410 less a year. The total is higher in Toa Alta despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Toa Alta
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Toa Alta Living Index
58

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

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Toa Alta

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,238

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,238 per month in Toa Alta vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Toa Alta $1,238
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,934 per month in Toa Alta vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Toa Alta $1,934
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Toa Alta vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Toa Alta $2,630
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Toa Alta costs about 3% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Toa Alta and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Toa Alta 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.80 $12.80

$10.92 MX$205

17.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 $80.5

$43.37 MX$815

85.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 $9.45

$11.78 MX$221

-19.78%

Cappuccino

$3.43 $3.43

$3.81 MX$71.6

-9.97%

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

$1.59 $1.59

$1.28 MX$24.10

24.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 $1.40

$0.78 MX$14.71

79.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.17 MX$59.5

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 $5.02

$4.93 MX$92.7

1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.41 MX$26.43

50.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.22 MX$41.66

64.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.42 MX$26.64

69.01%

Eggs

$5.29 $5.29

$2.52 MX$47.41

109.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$7.26 MX$137

-29.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 $9.50

$7.70 MX$145

23.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$12.69 MX$239

-49.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.78 MX$52.3

78.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.37 MX$25.71

91.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.55 MX$47.94

89.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.12 MX$39.90

130.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$1.94 MX$36.43

89.18%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.89 MX$35.44

115.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.15 MX$21.55

193.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.18 MX$22.16

34.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.21 $12.21

$4.30 MX$80.7

183.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$9.95 MX$187

51.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.58 MX$29.76

87.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.67 MX$50.2

53.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$4.97 MX$93.4

-50.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$3.33 MX$62.6

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.42 $41.42

$5.36 MX$101

672.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.44 MX$27.14

-14.58%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

69.26%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

19.06%

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

$319 $319

$84.8 MX$1,594

275.93%

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

$68.0 $68.0

$23.41 MX$440

190.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$28.66 MX$539

139.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.03 $28.03

$57.1 MX$1,072

-50.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$10.68 $10.68

$5.14 MX$96.6

107.78%

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

$825 $825

$207 MX$3,882

299.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

219.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 $57.2

$43.35 MX$815

31.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 $61.4

$41.44 MX$779

48.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$74.2 MX$1,394

48.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$89.3 MX$1,677

29.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Toa Alta: 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.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toa Alta

$456 36.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70% $319

Groceries & Markets

Toa Alta

$360 29.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.2% $105

Eating Out

Toa Alta

$209 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 3% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Toa Alta

$155 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Toa Alta

$49 4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 36.3% $18

Getting Around

Toa Alta

$9.8 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 413% $41

Accommodation & Living

Toa Alta

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Toa Alta versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Toa Alta

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

1 h behind Toa Alta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toa Alta Playa del Carmen 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Toa Alta
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

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

Yes – Toa Alta is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,857 per month in Toa Alta and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,238 in Toa Alta and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $825 per month in Toa Alta 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 $1,238 in Toa Alta 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 $1,238 in Toa Alta. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.