Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tuxtla Gutierrez and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuxtla Gutierrez: $915 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Tuxtla Gutierrez
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Tuxtla Gutierrez Living Index
59

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

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Tuxtla Gutierrez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$915

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Tuxtla Gutierrez vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tuxtla Gutierrez $915
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,529 per month in Tuxtla Gutierrez vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tuxtla Gutierrez $1,529
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,142 per month in Tuxtla Gutierrez vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tuxtla Gutierrez $2,142
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Tuxtla Gutierrez is about 24% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tuxtla Gutierrez and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tuxtla Gutierrez 32% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.69 MX$124

$10.76 MX$199

-37.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.09 MX$353

$43.03 MX$795

-55.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 MX$135

$11.79 MX$218

-38.08%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

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

$1.38 MX$25.53

$1.37 MX$25.29

0.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.08

$0.84 MX$15.44

29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MX$39.85

$3.10 MX$57.3

-30.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$45.86

$5.07 MX$93.6

-51.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.61

$1.44 MX$26.55

7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 MX$51.1

$2.23 MX$41.23

23.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.33

$1.47 MX$27.17

19.05%

Eggs

$2.61 MX$48.31

$2.53 MX$46.71

3.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.67 MX$345

$7.30 MX$135

155.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$7.86 MX$145

1.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.75 MX$199

$12.79 MX$236

-15.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MX$49.81

$2.90 MX$53.6

-6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.64

$1.44 MX$26.53

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.74

$2.55 MX$47.07

-0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.34

$2.06 MX$38.03

-20.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.54

$2.00 MX$36.97

-12.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.46

$2.01 MX$37.07

1.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MX$20.91

$1.19 MX$22.02

-5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 MX$12.06

$1.26 MX$23.23

-48.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$83.3

$4.40 MX$81.4

2.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 MX$204

$9.59 MX$177

15.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.59 MX$29.41

-8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 MX$71.4

$2.81 MX$51.9

37.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.74

$0.57 MX$10.47

-7.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.17 MX$539

$27.82 MX$514

4.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 MX$49.83

$4.98 MX$92.1

-45.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 MX$52.0

$3.50 MX$64.6

-19.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.18 MX$151

$5.40 MX$99.8

51.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.87

$1.47 MX$27.08

-1.36%

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

$22.3K MX$411.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

6.07%

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

$25.1K MX$463.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

4.89%

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

$24.62 MX$455

$84.2 MX$1,556

-70.76%

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

$20.22 MX$374

$23.99 MX$443

-15.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.40 MX$469

$29.02 MX$536

-12.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.92 MX$775

$63.0 MX$1,164

-33.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.75 MX$254

$29.14 MX$539

-52.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.90 MX$109

$4.94 MX$91.3

19.43%

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

$204 MX$3,763

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,297 MX$42.5K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-41.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.97 MX$628

$43.60 MX$806

-22.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.54 MX$306

$43.12 MX$797

-61.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 MX$1,267

$75.8 MX$1,400

-9.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 MX$1,028

$88.6 MX$1,637

-37.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 MX$6,099

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-67.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 MX$4,240

$374 MX$6,911

-38.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 MX$15.2K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-51.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 MX$11.2K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-45.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 MX$9,254

$754 MX$13.9K

-33.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Tuxtla Gutierrez: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$288 31.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 10.1% $29

Accommodation & Living

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$229 25.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 63% $145

Eating Out

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$147 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 37.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$79 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 43.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$70 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 95.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$54 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 35.6% $19

Getting Around

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$48 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 9.4% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $330 in Tuxtla Gutierrez versus $1,008 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 51% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Tuxtla Gutierrez versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Tuxtla Gutierrez vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tuxtla Gutierrez

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

1 h ahead of Tuxtla Gutierrez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

578,830

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

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Tuxtla Gutierrez Playa del Carmen 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tuxtla Gutierrez
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Tuxtla Gutierrez and $1,816 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 Tuxtla Gutierrez, 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 $915 in Tuxtla Gutierrez and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 32%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Tuxtla Gutierrez and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tuxtla Gutierrez, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Tuxtla Gutierrez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tuxtla Gutierrez – 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 Tuxtla Gutierrez. 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.