Playa del Carmen vs Puerto Escondido
💰
Puerto Escondido saves you $500/month
🌡️
Tropical Wet vs Tropical Monsoon climate
💰 Cost of Living Breakdown
Monthly expenses comparison in USD
Expense
Playa del Carmen
Puerto Escondido
Total Budget
$1,700/mo
$1,200/mo ✓
Rent (1BR)
$600/mo ✓
$650/mo
Coworking
$180/mo
$150/mo ✓
Meal Out
$6
$4 ✓
Coffee
$3
$2.5 ✓
Puerto Escondido is $500/mo cheaper (42% savings)
💻 Remote Work Essentials
Internet, timezone, and language comparison
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
📶 Internet50 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC-6
🗣️ Englishhigh
🛂 Nomad VisaNot available
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West8h
🇺🇸 US East8h
🇬🇧 London5h
🇩🇪 Berlin4h
🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido
📶 Internet50-100 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC-6
🗣️ Englishmedium
🛂 Nomad VisaNot available
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West8h
🇺🇸 US East8h
🇬🇧 London5h
🇩🇪 Berlin4h
🌡️ Climate Comparison
Weather patterns and best times to visit
Playa del Carmen
ClimateTropical Wet
Avg Temp27°C
Rainy Days164/year
Best months: February, March, April, May
Puerto Escondido
ClimateTropical Monsoon
Avg Temp26°C
Rainy Days138/year
Best months: January, February, March, April
Quarterly Temperatures
Jan
24°25°
Apr
27°27°
Jul
29°27°
Oct
27°26°
Playa del CarmenPuerto Escondido
📊 Full Comparison
Category
🇲🇽Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽Puerto Escondido
💰
Monthly Budget
$1,700
$1,200
Winner📶
Internet Speed
50 Mbps
50 Mbps
🛡️
Safety
3.3/5
4/5
Winner⭐
Nomad Score
3.9/10
4.1/10
🍽️
Food Scene
8/10
8/10
🎉
Nightlife
9/10
8/10
🚶
Walkability
8/10
Winner6/10
👥
Community
large
large
1
Playa del Carmen wins
vs
2
Puerto Escondido wins
Which City is Right for You?
Recommendations based on your nomad style
💵Budget Nomad
Puerto Escondido
$500/mo cheaper with similar quality of life
💻Developer
Either works
Both have adequate internet for development work
🦋Social Butterfly
Either works
Similar social opportunities
🛡️Safety-First
Puerto Escondido
Significantly higher safety rating
🍜Foodie
Either works
Both have great food scenes
🎉Party Person
Either works
Both have great nightlife
🇲🇽Playa del Carmen
Pros
- +Caribbean beach paradise with turquoise waters
- +Same timezone as US East Coast (GMT-5)
- +Huge international digital nomad community
- +Easy 180-day tourist visa on arrival
Cons
- −Sargassum seaweed problem on beaches
- −Tourist trap pricing on 5th Avenue
- −Police corruption and scams reported
- −Cartel presence though tourists rarely affected
🇲🇽Puerto Escondido
Pros
- +World-class surfing at Zicatela beach with legendary Mexican Pipeline waves
- +Affordable cost of living with rent under $700/month in most areas
- +Growing digital nomad community with regular events and meetups
- +Beautiful beaches from swimming-friendly Carrizalillo to surf mecca Zicatela
Cons
- −Internet unreliable with frequent outages especially in La Punta
- −No Uber or Grab - must negotiate taxi prices or use colectivos
- −Town spread out requiring transportation between neighborhoods
- −Rainy season June-October brings afternoon storms and humidity