Costs And Money - Playa Del Carmen

Mexico is not as cheap as it once was, despite the instability of its currency. Although, in general, costs are lower than you'll find at home, compared with the rest of Central or South America, prices here can come as something of a shock.

In the long term, the NAFTA free trade treaty with the US and Canada can probably be expected to keep costs (and, one hopes, wages) rising, though prices will fluctuate somewhat as the peso goes down against the dollar, and inflation moves in to fill the gap. As the peso is so unstable, all prices in the guide are quoted in US dollars; be aware, however, that these will be affected by unpredictable factors such as inflation and exchange rates. Latest developments and your own common sense will determine how you apply them.

Costs
The developed tourist resorts and big cities are invariably more expensive than more remote towns, and certain other areas also have noticeably higher prices - among them the industrialized north, especially along the border, Baja, and all the newly...
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Currency
The "new Mexican Peso", or Nuevo Peso , usually written $ (sometimes N$), was introduced in 1993 and is made up of 100 centavos (¢, like a US cent) - it's the equivalent of 1000 old pesos. Bills come in denominations of $20, $50,...
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Currency exchange
The easiest kind of foreign currency to change in Mexico is US dollars cash. US dollar travellers' cheques come second; Canadian dollars and other major international currencies such as pounds sterling, yen and deutschmarks are a poor third,...
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Cash and travellers' cheques
In touristy places, such as Acapulco and Tijuana, US dollar bills are almost as easy to spend as pesos. Of course the big disadvantage with cash is that once stolen or lost, it's gone forever. For that reason, most travellers prefer to bring plastic...
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Visa Travel Money (www.visa.com)
This is a disposable debit card prepaid with dedicated travel funds which you can access from over 457,000 Visa ATMs in 120 countries with a PIN that you select yourself. When your funds are depleted, you simply throw the card away. Since you can buy up...
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Credit and cash cards
Major credit cards are widely accepted and handy for emergencies. Visa and MasterCard are the best; American Express and other charge cards are usually only accepted by expensive places, but an Amex card is worth it for the other services it...
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Wiring money
Wiring money is a fast but expensive way to send funds abroad and should be considered a last resort. Money can be sent via MoneyGram or Western Union and should be available for collection, from the company's local agent, within a few minutes of...
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