Playa del Carmen at a glance
- Playa del Carmen is the cheapest of Mexico's 6 priced cities: $948 a month in essentials, 32% below Puerto Vallarta at $1,395.
- The average net salary of $662 covers that 0.7×.
- 112.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at municipality level.
- PM2.5 averages 8.6 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 6 Mexico cities we track, so every row says whether Playa del Carmen is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $948 | $1,172 | $224 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $391 | $596 | 1.52× as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,058 | $1,018 | $40 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $148 | $162 | $14 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $261 | $274 | $12 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $119 | $136 | $18 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $29 | $25 | $4 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $662 | $852 | 1.29× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,254 | $1,240 | $14 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,900 | $1,874 | $26 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Playa del Carmen, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $12.83 | $13.54 | $0.71 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $45.61 | $51.31 | $5.70 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $12.75 | $10.87 | $1.88 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $3.93 | $3.96 | $0.03 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $3.00 | $3.00 | same |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $6.85 | $4.97 | 1.38× as much |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.41 | $1.58 | $0.17 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.78 | $1.31 | 1.68× as much |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.63 | $1.81 | $0.18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $2.15 | $2.92 | 1.36× as much |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.70 | $1.90 | $0.20 |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.67 | $2.55 | $0.12 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $9.12 | $10.55 | $1.43 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $8.80 | $9.71 | $0.91 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $3.00 | $2.98 | $0.02 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.48 | $1.60 | $0.12 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $2.22 | $2.24 | $0.02 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.98 | $2.13 | $0.15 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.99 | $1.93 | $0.06 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.14 | $1.23 | $0.09 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.57 | $0.63 | $0.06 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $28.51 | $24.52 | $4.00 |
| Taxi start | $5.13 | $2.56 | 2.00× as much |
| Taxi, 1 km | $3.54 | $2.14 | 1.65× as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.51 | $1.53 | $0.02 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $88.04 | $102.84 | $14.80 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $30.56 | $33.09 | $2.53 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $22.80 | $25.95 | $3.15 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $67.27 | $36.08 | 1.86× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $5.00 | $6.84 | 1.37× as much |
Dating-age sex ratio
Playa del Carmen has 112.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (municipality level). That is the highest of the 6 Mexico cities we track. Mexico's national figure is 97.4, so Playa del Carmen runs 15 above the country as a whole.
Every Mexico region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Playa del Carmen ranks against every city we track
Playa del Carmen sits ahead of 69% of the 898 cities we track on clean air. On cost of living it is ahead of 58% of 542. Its weakest measure is women aged 20–39, ahead of only 9% of 892.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Playa del Carmen sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: SSCreader, CC BY 4.0.
