Long Term Apartment Rentals in Playa del Carmen

By:

Last Updated: August 11, 2010

Looking for a long term apartment rental in Playa del Carmen?  Here is some information that you may find useful.

How much should you expect to pay?

Rental rates in Playa del Carmen vary greatly, depending on your location, the amenities provided, and what time of year you are looking.  

Location: Expect to pay more for your rent the closer you are located to the beach.  Prices in the Centro area (Juarez Avenue on the South end, Constituyentes Avenue on the North end, 30th Avenue on the West) are also fairly high.

Amenities: Some places include utilities such as electricity, gas, cable and internet service. 

Time of Year: Searching for an apartment during the low season (May through October) is better than searching during the high season.  

Utilities

  • Electric: CFE. Electric bills come every 2 months and are typically delivered by your electric meter. Electricity costs vary greatly from person to person, depending on how much electricity you consume.  To run a refrigerator, and a few lights and television daily, you can pay as little as $200 MXN a month. To run a refrigerator, multiple computers and a 24,000 BTU air conditioning every day, you may find yourself paying $10,000 MXN a month.  The government subsidizes electricity, providing a steep (basic usage) discount for the first 150 kWh a billing cycle, and an additional (intermediate usage) discount for the next 150 kWh. The rate plan for an average of less than 800 kWh each billing cycle is category 1B.  However, if you are categorized a “high use”, over an average of 800 kWh per billing cycle, you will be bumped into category DAC, and you will no longer receive either of the discounts. The current cost per kWh is approximately $3.044 MXN.
  • Gas: Z-Gas, Tomza. Playa del Carmen does not have underground gas lines.  Gas for cooking, heating water, or for a gas dryer comes in the form of gas cylinders.  The amount of gas you will need to buy depends on your usage.  For cooking, you may only need to fill one large cylinder of gas every 3 months.  If the cylinder is shared with your hot water heater, you may only get 5-6 weeks for each refill.  The current cost for a large cylinder from Z-Gas is $309 MXN.
  • Cable: Cablemas. Example costs: Basic Digital Video, with digital box: $296.51. 2MB Internet Service: $360.36. International Video Package, $77.93. Taxes: $93.30.  Total: $828.10 MXN per month.
  • Phone: Telmex
  • Water: CAPA
  • Cell Phone: Telcel, Moviestar, Nextel

Taxes

Taxes, called I.V.A., in the state of Quintana Roo are a flat 11%.  Quintana Roo is considered a frontier state because it shares a border with a foreign country.  The other non-frontier states in Mexico currently have a tax rate of 16%.

Rental Agencies

Check the In The Roo business directory for other long term rental listings.

Do you run a rental agency that you would like to list on this page?  Please contact us with your information.

Classified Listings

  • In The Roo’s Marketplace Forum Discussion forums are used by locals to request and distribute useful information. You can browse current listings or post your own query about what type of place you are searching. 
  • Andale! – Andale magazine is probably the best place to search for apartments and long term rentals if you are already in town.  The magazine can be located as various business locations throughout town; new issues arrive on the 1st and 15th of the month.  Please note, many of the descriptions lack useful information, such as the location or cost of the apartment, and most only provide a phone number, most likely to be answered by someone who speaks only Spanish. Because of this, utilizing a Rental Agency is suggested for those with poor Spanish skills.

Miscellaneous

Please note, all prices listed are in Mexican Pesos, MXN.  For current exchange rates, please visit a currency information service like XE.com.