Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Torreon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Torreon and in Playa del Carmen: $1,187 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

Torreon
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,187
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Torreon vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Torreon $1,187
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,900 per month in Torreon vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Torreon $1,900
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,614 per month in Torreon vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Torreon $2,614
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Torreon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.75 MX$199
$10.86 MX$201
-1.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.10 MX$797
$44.21 MX$817
-2.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.02 MX$185
$11.76 MX$217
-14.80%
Cappuccino
$3.19 MX$59.0
$3.68 MX$68.0
-13.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 MX$31.95
$1.34 MX$24.79
29.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$22.95
$0.82 MX$15.24
51.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.13 MX$39.41
$3.06 MX$56.6
-30.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 MX$81.2
$4.94 MX$91.2
-11.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Torreon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 MX$32.21
$1.47 MX$27.17
18.37%
White Bread (500g)
$3.08 MX$56.9
$2.22 MX$40.95
38.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 MX$40.83
$1.48 MX$27.32
49.32%
Eggs
$2.61 MX$48.22
$2.49 MX$45.99
4.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.09 MX$186
$7.52 MX$139
34.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.57 MX$158
$7.96 MX$147
7.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.61 MX$214
$12.57 MX$232
-7.64%
Apples (1kg)
$2.86 MX$52.9
$2.78 MX$51.3
2.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 MX$31.61
$1.43 MX$26.37
19.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.20 MX$40.66
$2.62 MX$48.37
-16.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 MX$46.33
$2.14 MX$39.49
17.29%
Potato (1kg)
$2.32 MX$42.81
$2.02 MX$37.38
14.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 MX$39.81
$1.99 MX$36.74
8.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.43 MX$26.51
$1.14 MX$21.01
25.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 MX$23.87
$1.20 MX$22.18
7.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.17 MX$77.0
$4.26 MX$78.7
-2.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.64 MX$197
$10.02 MX$185
6.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.11 MX$38.97
$1.54 MX$28.41
37.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.94 MX$72.8
$2.66 MX$49.17
48.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Torreon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.78 MX$14.32
$0.53 MX$9.73
47.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$32.30 MX$597
$27.51 MX$508
17.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.91 MX$35.36
$4.90 MX$90.6
-61.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.89 MX$16.36
$3.43 MX$63.5
-74.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.06 MX$186
$5.38 MX$99.4
86.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 MX$26.47
$1.45 MX$26.76
-1.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.3K MX$467.4K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
19.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.0K MX$499.8K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
17.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Torreon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.0 MX$1,387
$85.4 MX$1,577
-12.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.21 MX$743
$23.46 MX$434
71.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.38 MX$543
$28.43 MX$525
3.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Torreon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.5 MX$1,193
$62.2 MX$1,149
3.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.54 MX$398
$28.68 MX$530
-24.90%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 MX$89.9
$5.10 MX$94.3
-4.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Torreon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$289 MX$5,348
$201 MX$3,715
43.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,710 MX$50.1K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
-31.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Torreon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.5 MX$1,229
$44.39 MX$820
49.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.47 MX$896
$41.35 MX$764
17.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 MX$1,898
$72.7 MX$1,344
41.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.8 MX$1,788
$89.6 MX$1,656
7.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Torreon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$458 MX$8,471
$979 MX$18.1K
-53.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 MX$5,641
$373 MX$6,887
-18.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$757 MX$14.0K
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-54.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$600 MX$11.1K
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-45.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,609 MX$29.7K
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-59.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,261 MX$23.3K
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-79.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Torreon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$826 MX$15.3K
$738 MX$13.6K
12.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.87
11.45
12.40%

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

Last update for Torreon: 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.
Accommodation & Living
Torreon
$305
Playa del Carmen
$373 22.1% $67
Groceries & Markets
Torreon
$294
Playa del Carmen
$258 12% $35
Eating Out
Torreon
$186
Playa del Carmen
$200 7.8% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Torreon
$145
Playa del Carmen
$137 5.1% $7.4
Clothing & Footwear
Torreon
$142
Playa del Carmen
$112 21.1% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Torreon
$74
Playa del Carmen
$72 2.5% $1.9
Getting Around
Torreon
$42
Playa del Carmen
$52 23.8% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $458 in Torreon 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 12% higher in Torreon, 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 Torreon versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $294 in Torreon vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Torreon
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
03:33 3:33 AM
04:33 4:33 AM
1 h ahead of Torreon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
690,193
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
  • Torreon Playa del Carmen 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Torreon
  • 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
Torreon vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Torreon?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,780 per month in Torreon 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 Torreon, 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 Torreon and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Torreon and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 1%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 17% less in Torreon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Torreon or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Torreon, where all-in costs run around $1,187, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Torreon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Torreon or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Torreon – 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 Torreon. 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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