Cost of living comparison
compared to
Quito vs. Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Summary
Quito is 8.0% cheaper than Playa del Carmen.
- Restaurants
-
pay 41.4% less in Quito
- Groceries
-
pay 22.8% less in Quito
- Transportation
-
pay 32.9% less in Quito
- Housing
-
pay 40.2% less in Quito
- Childcare
-
pay 56.6% more in Quito
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.9% more in Quito
- Clothing
-
pay 23.1% more in Quito
The cost of childcare, clothing, and entertainment and sports in Quito are more expensive than in Playa del Carmen. Expenses including restaurants, housing, transportation, and groceries are lower in Quito.
Quito vs. Playa del Carmen Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Quito instead of Playa del Carmen, you would:
pay 41.4% less for restaurants
|
Playa del Carmen
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.90
MX$216.19
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.83
MX$196.85
|
$7.38
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.62
MX$29.50
|
$1.13
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.34
MX$24.39
|
$0.73
|
|
Playa del Carmen vs. Quito - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 22.8% less for groceries
|
Playa del Carmen
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
MX$35.94
|
$1.62
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.33
MX$78.74
|
$4.18
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
MX$99.93
|
$4.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.27
MX$41.21
|
$2.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.76
MX$68.33
|
$3.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.30
MX$23.55
|
$0.98
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.64
MX$11.69
|
$0.51
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
MX$16.30
|
$0.48
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
MX$17.03
|
$0.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.85
MX$15.48
|
$0.68
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.02
MX$18.60
|
$0.47
|
|
Playa del Carmen vs. Quito - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 32.9% less for transportation
|
Playa del Carmen
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.02
MX$91.31
|
$2.63
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$27.08
MX$492.12
|
$27.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,003.27
MX$563,471.97
|
$20,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$25.93
MX$471.22
|
$13.50
|
|
Playa del Carmen vs. Quito - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 40.2% less for housing
|
Playa del Carmen
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$30.51
MX$554.45
|
$28.44
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,072.23
MX$19,487.36
|
$448.12
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$484.68
MX$8,808.86
|
$317.19
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$64.40
MX$1,170.45
|
$25.07
|
|
Playa del Carmen vs. Quito - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 56.6% more for childcare
|
Playa del Carmen
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$204.43
MX$3,715.47
|
$283.25
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,361.26
MX$97,438.82
|
$9,360.00
|
|
Playa del Carmen vs. Quito - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 1.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Playa del Carmen
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.12
MX$56.70
|
$2.38
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.46
MX$62.90
|
$2.96
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.17
MX$75.79
|
$6.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$60.49
MX$1,099.45
|
$38.55
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.98
MX$90.59
|
$7.00
|
|
Playa del Carmen vs. Quito - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 23.1% more for clothing
|
Playa del Carmen
|
Quito
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.98
MX$799.31
|
$60.15
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.89
MX$761.28
|
$46.83
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.82
MX$1,377.92
|
$105.42
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$88.61
MX$1,610.54
|
$92.78
|
|
Playa del Carmen vs. Quito - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Mexico vs. Ecuador.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Mexico and Ecuador.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Quito or Playa del Carmen. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.