Colosio, Playa del Carmen: The Neighborhood Guide Nobody Writes Honestly

You'll get two very different answers if you ask where to stay in Playa del Carmen. One points you to 5th Avenue. The other, usually someone who's actually lived here a while, points north to Colosio.

You won't find Colosio on a postcard. It's not trying to. What it has instead is street art on half the walls. A bus fare costs less than a bottle of water. And a walk to the beach doesn't cost you your budget for the whole trip. Here's what it actually is, and who should book a stay there.

---

What Colosio actually is

Officially it's Luis Donaldo Colosio. Most people just say Colosio. It sits north of Centro, and its south end is close enough to downtown that you can walk it. The rest of the neighborhood is flat and easy enough that almost everyone here gets around by bike.

The murals are real, not a marketing photo. You'll be walking through an open-air gallery in Colosio, one that has grown over the past few years. Colorful wall art runs block after block. It's one of the few neighborhoods in Playa where people bring a camera for the street art, not the beach.

Playa before the resorts arrived

In 1995, 17,621 people lived in Playa del Carmen. The 2020 census counted 304,942, more than seventeen times as many. INEGI's 2025 survey puts the municipality at 394,326, before visitors are counted. You're staying in what Playa was 20 years ago. Expect quiet, open beaches with room to spread out instead of tiptoeing around towels. It's also a real neighborhood where kids still play in the street.

Who should stay in Colosio?

Young couples and digital nomads have quietly made Colosio the place to land. They come for a longer stay without a resort-sized budget. Monthly rent here is usually lower than in Centro. That price gap is exactly why remote workers started showing up here during and after the pandemic. It's also why they've mostly stayed.

If your trip is measured in weeks instead of days, this is where that math starts to make sense.

How far is Colosio from downtown Playa del Carmen?

The south end of Colosio is walkable to downtown Playa del Carmen. Figure a 15 to 20 minute walk depending on exactly where you're staying. A short bike ride works if you'd rather skip the walk. From there you're within reach of 5th Avenue, Parque Fundadores, and the ferry terminal.

The sand is a 10-minute walk, and the beaches out here are quiet enough that you're not tiptoeing around towels. And the whole neighborhood is bikeable end to end. That is how most people who live here actually get around day to day.

The honest tradeoff

You won't be in the middle of the nightlife here. Your idea of a good night might be stepping straight out of your door onto 5th Avenue. Then you'll notice the extra 15 to 20 minutes every time you want to get there. That's the tradeoff, plainly stated. You get quieter streets and real prices, in exchange for not being in the thick of it.

What you get back is a neighborhood that isn't performing for tourists. The restaurants here serve the people who live here. The murals went up because artists wanted to paint them, not because a tourism board asked for them.

Staying at Casitas

Our Casitas collection sits right in Colosio. These are private stand-alone units with their own outdoor space, built for exactly this kind of stay. If you're weighing a longer trip, you probably want real value without giving up comfort. Take a look at what's available in Colosio.

How do you get from Colosio to Centro?

A local bus into Centro costs about 5 pesos. It's cheap enough that you won't think twice about hopping on for a night out and grabbing a cab back. Most days, though, you won't need either. A bike covers Colosio easily, and a lot of what you'll want during your stay is already close by.

---

This neighborhood isn't for everyone, and it doesn't need to be. If you want to be a 3-minute walk from the loudest bar on 5th, book Uva De Mar. Want a real neighborhood, a fair price, and a short bus ride to the rest of Playa del Carmen? Casitas is the one worth a look.