Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toluca and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,098 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
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Toluca Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,098

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,098 per month in Toluca vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Toluca $1,098
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,844 per month in Toluca vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Toluca $1,844
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,589 per month in Toluca vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Toluca $2,589
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Toluca is about 9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Toluca and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Toluca 19% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 MX$204

$10.86 MX$201

1.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.85 MX$792

$44.21 MX$817

-3.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 MX$168

$11.76 MX$217

-22.70%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MX$58.0

$3.68 MX$68.0

-14.67%

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

$1.26 MX$23.24

$1.34 MX$24.79

-5.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 MX$13.97

$0.82 MX$15.24

-7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.06 MX$56.6

-30.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$60.8

$4.94 MX$91.2

-33.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.71

$1.47 MX$27.17

20.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 MX$57.7

$2.22 MX$40.95

40.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.28

$1.48 MX$27.32

47.30%

Eggs

$3.05 MX$56.3

$2.49 MX$45.99

22.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 MX$147

$7.52 MX$139

5.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.36 MX$155

$7.96 MX$147

5.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.91 MX$165

$12.57 MX$232

-29.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 MX$75.3

$2.78 MX$51.3

46.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 MX$39.00

$1.43 MX$26.37

47.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.07

$2.62 MX$48.37

-15.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$42.16

$2.14 MX$39.49

6.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 MX$52.2

$2.02 MX$37.38

39.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 MX$42.58

$1.99 MX$36.74

15.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 MX$30.26

$1.14 MX$21.01

43.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.07

$1.20 MX$22.18

-14.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 MX$90.0

$4.26 MX$78.7

14.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.25 MX$226

$10.02 MX$185

22.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 MX$36.76

$1.54 MX$28.41

29.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 MX$67.5

$2.66 MX$49.17

37.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.92

$0.53 MX$9.73

41.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 MX$59.0

$4.90 MX$90.6

-34.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MX$37.22

$3.43 MX$63.5

-41.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.17 MX$188

$5.38 MX$99.4

89.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.66

$1.45 MX$26.76

-0.69%

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

$24.6K MX$454.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

16.27%

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

$23.5K MX$433.9K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

2.02%

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

$58.1 MX$1,074

$85.4 MX$1,577

-31.92%

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

$25.04 MX$463

$23.46 MX$434

6.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.71 MX$586

$28.43 MX$525

11.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 MX$889

$62.2 MX$1,149

-22.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 MX$419

$28.68 MX$530

-20.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 MX$128

$5.10 MX$94.3

36.27%

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

$224 MX$4,131

$201 MX$3,715

11.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,244 MX$96.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

32.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 MX$1,233

$44.39 MX$820

50.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$992

$41.35 MX$764

29.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,920

$72.7 MX$1,344

42.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 MX$1,923

$89.6 MX$1,656

16.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 MX$13.0K

$979 MX$18.1K

-28.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 MX$5,345

$373 MX$6,887

-22.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 MX$18.0K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-42.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 MX$13.0K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-35.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,296 MX$24.0K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-67.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$915 MX$16.9K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-85.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,273 MX$23.5K

$738 MX$13.6K

72.56%

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 Toluca: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Toluca

$289 26.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 10.7% $31

Accommodation & Living

Toluca

$289 26.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 28.9% $84

Eating Out

Toluca

$178 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 12.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Toluca

$148 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toluca

$115 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 19.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Toluca

$62 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 16.8% $10

Getting Around

Toluca

$16 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 218% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Toluca 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.

Salaries run about 73% higher in Toluca, 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 $43.00 in Toluca versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $289 in Toluca vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Toluca

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

1 h ahead of Toluca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,876

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

Toluca Playa del Carmen 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Toluca
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,647 per month in Toluca 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 Toluca, 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 $1,098 in Toluca and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $224 per month in Toluca 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 Toluca, where all-in costs run around $1,098, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Toluca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Toluca – 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 Toluca. 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.