My Gated Apartment Building

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Last Spring I spent 3 months living in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. My cheap apartment next to the beach only cost $300 a month. This is how I found it.

Playa del Carmen is a laid-back beach town located in Mexico s Yucatan Pennisula. It s a favorite spot for backpackers from all over the world.

Digital nomads like myself are starting to base themselves here for a few months to get work done. There are a lot of benefits that come with living in Playa del Carmen.

Tasty cheap food, inexpensive housing, good public transportation, and white sand beaches make it ideal. Not to mention modern conveniences like fast internet, decent nightlife, and Walmart.

Every Apartment Should Have a Hammock!

After arriving in Playa del Carmen, I grabbed a dorm room at Hostel Playa to use as a base while I searched.

I began by reading this helpful post from Wandering Earl. and then asked locals for advice using the Playa del Carmen CouchSurfing forum .

What did I want my apartment to include?

It needed to be furnished, include a kitchen, hot water, and be somewhat secure. Air-conditioning would be nice too. I also wanted to be able to walk to the beach. Wireless internet was a must.

I didn t care if it was fancy or not. Just basic clean would be fine with me. The budget I set for myself was $350 a month.

A Simple Kitchen

Walking around town looking for Se Renta signs didn t yield much. There were plenty of signs out there, but after calling I was told the building was full. Or the price was out of my range.

Unfortunately it was still high-season. I d need to narrow my search down to apartments that were actually available and would meet my budget.

Time to hit the internet.

Now I d been traveling in Central America for over a year so my Spanish was decent. But good Spanish isn t a requirement, because Google Translate will give you a pretty good idea what they re offering for how much.

Some of the landlords speak English, others don t. So when you call, just ask a friendly staff-member at your hostel to do the talking for you. Offer to buy them a few cervezas for their trouble.

Local Classified Websites

Both include local apartment listings with photos, details, and prices.

My Beautiful Beach 2 Blocks Away

Using these websites I found my ideal studio apartment for only $300 a month! It was located North of the city center in a very local Mayan neighborhood. Just a 5 minute ride by city bus or colectivo to get into town, and only two blocks from a beautiful (uncrowded, tops-optional) beach.

My apartment included an air conditioner, ceiling fan, cable TV, fridge, hot water shower, gas cooker, kitchen utensils, WiFi, and a secure gate out front. Electricity was extra, but it didn t cost much as I rarely used the air conditioner.

There were also a pair of hammock-hooks built into the wall! Hammock not included that I picked up on my own. Laundry service was available across the street for a couple bucks.

It was exactly what I wanted.

Keep in mind you can find nicer one bedroom places in the middle of town for $400-$500 a month, or two bedrooms for $600-$900.

It is possible to find an ultra-basic studio apartment for around $100-$150 in Playa del Carmen. But it won t be pretty, it won t be furnished, it might not have a kitchen, and good luck with WiFi. Or hot water. But they re around. ?

My friend Elizabeth Aceves can help you find an apartment in Playa del Carmen with her new locally-based service. Many people have been super happy with the results. Contact her here: Renting Playa Del Carmen