Cost of Living: Cancun vs Playa del Carmen (2026)

Mexico vs Mexico — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Cancun

Playa del Carmen

$737/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,068/mo

$9k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$5k/yr

4 yr

PR path

4 yr

Freelance setup

RESICO

No VAT exemption
€350/yr accountant

Stripe

RESICO

No VAT exemption
€350/yr accountant

Stripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRCancun is 31% cheaper on rent ($737/mo vs $1,068/mo). Neither city will test your commitment to owning a coat.

Cancun edges ahead 52 to 46. Playa del Carmen isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇲🇽 Cancun

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Mexico City vs Cancun

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Cancun

Metric

Playa del Carmen

$573/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$443/mo✓

✓$2,961

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$3,954

32 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

33 / 100

26.1 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

26.1 / 100k

12.0 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

12.0 / 100k

46 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

54 / 100✓

90°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

90°F

68°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

64°F

142 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

—

8.3 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

7 μg/m³✓

65 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

62 / 100

5.3 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

5.3 / 10

71 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

71 / 100

20/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

20/100

$26k

💼

GDP per capita

higher is better

$26k

4.7% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

4.7% · Boringly steady

59/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

59/100

A median Software Engineer in Cancun takes home $2,898/mo under Standard employee. In Playa del Carmen: $2,898/mo under Standard employee.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$46k

💰

Gross income

$46k

−$10k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$10k

−$1k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$1k

$35k/yr

$3k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$35k/yr

$3k/mo

−$26k

🏠

Cost of living

−$30k

✓$9k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$5k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Cancun

$331/mo cheaper on rent alone

Sun

How much sky you actually get

51% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

10.8h

Shortest day

Dec

10.9h

13.4h

Longest day

Jun

13.4h

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

declining ↓

Democracy trend

declining ↓

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

EU visa

Moderate

RU visa

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

12 wk

Gestational limit

12 wk

Decriminalized nationwide by Supreme Court in 2023. Access varies by state.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Cancun vs Playa del Carmen — Common Questions

Is Cancun cheaper than Playa del Carmen?▾

Cancun is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $737/month there vs $1068/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Cancun or Playa del Carmen?▾

Playa del Carmen is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Cancun has a rate of 26.11 per 100,000 and Playa del Carmen has 26.11 per 100,000.

Should I move to Cancun or Playa del Carmen?▾

Cancun edges ahead 52 to 46. Playa del Carmen isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

What's the cost of rent in Cancun vs Playa del Carmen?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $737/month in Cancun, $1068/month in Playa del Carmen (Numbeo). That's 31% cheaper rent in Cancun.