Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trujillo Alto and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,754 in Trujillo Alto, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo Alto
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Trujillo Alto Living Index
57

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

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Trujillo Alto

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,754

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,754 per month in Trujillo Alto vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Trujillo Alto $1,754
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,637 per month in Trujillo Alto vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Trujillo Alto $2,637
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,520 per month in Trujillo Alto vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Trujillo Alto $3,520
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Trujillo Alto costs about 46% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Trujillo Alto sits 30% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.83 $12.83

$10.67 MX$199

20.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 $78.6

$43.80 MX$815

79.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 $9.43

$11.79 MX$219

-20.02%

Cappuccino

$2.91 $2.91

$3.79 MX$70.5

-23.22%

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

$1.92 $1.92

$1.30 MX$24.14

47.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.83 MX$15.51

18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.15 MX$58.6

-3.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$4.93 MX$91.8

-21.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.41 MX$26.22

53.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.20 MX$40.86

52.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.47 MX$27.40

64.63%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$2.50 MX$46.46

96.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 $8.64

$7.29 MX$136

18.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 $9.37

$7.95 MX$148

17.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$12.86 MX$239

-39.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.90 MX$53.9

47.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.38 MX$25.74

86.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.49 MX$46.35

90.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.03 MX$37.77

88.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.02 MX$37.68

85.15%

Onion (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.90 MX$35.42

113.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.14 MX$21.30

205.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.24 MX$23.05

24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 $10.11

$4.27 MX$79.5

136.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 $14.96

$9.81 MX$183

52.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.59 MX$29.51

95.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.75 MX$51.1

48.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$4.76 MX$88.6

-48.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.25 MX$60.5

-54.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.15 $42.15

$5.39 MX$100

682.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.53 MX$28.44

-32.03%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

62.17%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

21.37%

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

$327 $327

$83.5 MX$1,554

292.13%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$23.19 MX$431

151.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$27.61 MX$514

150.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.43 $29.43

$56.4 MX$1,050

-47.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.16 $10.16

$28.19 MX$525

-63.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.69 $10.69

$5.00 MX$93.1

113.80%

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

$344 $344

$207 MX$3,854

66.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,458 $5,458

$5,231 MX$97.3K

4.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.36 $39.36

$43.45 MX$809

-9.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 $54.0

$42.54 MX$792

26.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 $90.0

$72.8 MX$1,354

23.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$88.4 MX$1,645

27.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 $698

$995 MX$18.5K

-29.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 $544

$382 MX$7,116

42.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-30.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$960 $960

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-11.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,903 $1,903

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-51.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,614 $1,614

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-73.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,311 $3,311

$832 MX$15.5K

297.86%

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 Trujillo Alto: October 31, 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

Trujillo Alto

$544 31%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 29.7% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trujillo Alto

$455 25.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 70.5% $321

Groceries & Markets

Trujillo Alto

$361 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 28.7% $104

Eating Out

Trujillo Alto

$200 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Trujillo Alto

$133 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 16.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Trujillo Alto

$51 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 30.8% $16

Getting Around

Trujillo Alto

$9.8 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 414% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $698 in Trujillo Alto 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.

Salaries in Trujillo Alto are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Trujillo Alto versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Trujillo Alto

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

1 h behind Trujillo Alto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,712

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Trujillo Alto Playa del Carmen 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Trujillo Alto
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

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

Yes – Trujillo Alto is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,631 per month in Trujillo Alto 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 Trujillo Alto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $698 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,754 in Trujillo Alto and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 31% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $344 per month in Trujillo Alto 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Trujillo Alto at $1,754. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Trujillo Alto 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,754 in Trujillo Alto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Trujillo Alto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.