Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tunapuna and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunapuna: $991 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tunapuna
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Tunapuna Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Tunapuna

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$991

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $991 per month in Tunapuna vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tunapuna $991
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,746 per month in Tunapuna vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tunapuna $1,746
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,502 per month in Tunapuna vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tunapuna $2,502
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Tunapuna is about 18% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Tunapuna and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tunapuna 27% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.21 TTD 68.5

$10.92 MX$205

-6.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 TTD 504

$43.37 MX$814

73.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 TTD 54.0

$11.78 MX$221

-31.66%

Cappuccino

$3.81 TTD 25.57

$3.81 MX$71.5

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

$0.99 TTD 6.64

$1.28 MX$24.07

-22.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 TTD 4.77

$0.78 MX$14.70

-8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 TTD 12.16

$3.17 MX$59.5

-42.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 TTD 19.55

$4.93 MX$92.7

-40.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 TTD 14.03

$1.41 MX$26.40

48.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 TTD 15.09

$2.22 MX$41.62

1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 TTD 19.29

$1.42 MX$26.61

102.11%

Eggs

$3.73 TTD 25.01

$2.52 MX$47.36

48.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.47 TTD 43.44

$7.26 MX$136

-10.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 TTD 67.4

$7.70 MX$144

30.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 TTD 60.5

$12.69 MX$238

-28.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 TTD 36.65

$2.78 MX$52.3

96.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 TTD 17.05

$1.37 MX$25.68

85.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 TTD 24.50

$2.55 MX$47.89

43.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 TTD 27.96

$2.12 MX$39.86

96.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 TTD 5.15

$1.94 MX$36.39

-60.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 TTD 4.79

$1.89 MX$35.41

-62.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 TTD 9.84

$1.15 MX$21.53

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 TTD 7.72

$1.18 MX$22.13

-2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 TTD 35.59

$4.30 MX$80.6

23.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.99 TTD 127

$9.95 MX$187

90.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 TTD 10.32

$1.58 MX$29.73

-2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 TTD 20.00

$2.67 MX$50.1

11.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 TTD 5.78

$4.97 MX$93.3

-82.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 TTD 6.05

$3.33 MX$62.5

-72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.81 TTD 99.4

$5.36 MX$101

176.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 TTD 7.45

$1.44 MX$27.11

-22.92%

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

$37.5K TTD 251.4K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

81.33%

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

$41.3K TTD 277.4K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

76.19%

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

$43.39 TTD 291

$84.8 MX$1,592

-48.83%

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

$41.96 TTD 282

$23.41 MX$439

79.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.57 TTD 306

$28.66 MX$538

59.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$8.66 TTD 58.1

$5.14 MX$96.5

68.48%

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

$402 TTD 2,699

$207 MX$3,878

94.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 72.8K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

176.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 TTD 362

$43.35 MX$814

24.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.71 TTD 246

$41.44 MX$778

-11.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 TTD 590

$74.2 MX$1,393

18.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 TTD 399

$89.3 MX$1,676

-33.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 TTD 1,894

$980 MX$18.4K

-71.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 TTD 1,592

$381 MX$7,150

-37.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 TTD 4,530

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-60.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 TTD 3,963

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-45.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

11.45

-49.78%

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

Last update for Tunapuna: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tunapuna

$320 32.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 20.3% $65

Accommodation & Living

Tunapuna

$237 24%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 60.5% $144

Eating Out

Tunapuna

$173 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 16.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tunapuna

$131 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 4.5% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Tunapuna

$107 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4.2% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Tunapuna

$17 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 289% $50

Getting Around

Tunapuna

$5.4 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 840% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Tunapuna 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Tunapuna versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Tunapuna

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

1 h behind Tunapuna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,758

149,923

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tunapuna Playa del Carmen 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tunapuna
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,486 per month in Tunapuna 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 Tunapuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $991 in Tunapuna and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Tunapuna about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $402 per month in Tunapuna and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $991 in Tunapuna and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $991 in Tunapuna to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.