Plan a group trip to Playa del Carmen
Flights from each person's city, airport transfers, where you stay, and everyone's share. Free, no sign-up.
How to split a group trip
Add each person, add what the group spends, and the planner keeps everyone's share and who owes whom. Each cost can be split its own way:
- Equally. Everyone pays the same. Simple, and right when everyone stays every night and the rooms are alike.
- By nights. Each person's share follows the nights they stay. Someone who arrives a day late pays one night less.
- By bed. Each bed carries a weight the group agrees on, and the people sharing a bed split it. The planner starts every bed at 1; change a weight only if the whole group agrees.
- By weights. Any custom weight per person, for example 0.5 for a child.
- Fixed amounts. Lock what one person pays and split the rest among everyone else.
Example: a $3,000 rental for 5 nights and 6 people, one of whom arrives a day late. By nights, the group has 29 person-nights (5 people times 5 nights, plus 4). The five who stay every night pay $517.24 each and the late arrival pays $413.80. The shares add up to exactly $3,000: the planner works in cents and gives any leftover cent to the largest remainder, so the total always ties.
At the end, the planner lists who pays whom. It pairs the person who is owed the most with the person who owes the most, and repeats, so a group of n people never needs more than n minus 1 payments.
Cancun, Cozumel or Tulum airport
| Airport | To Playa del Carmen | Airlines | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancun (CUN) | About 43 min by road, 33 mi (Google Maps) | Most US and Canada carriers: American, Delta, United, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, Frontier, Sun Country, Air Canada, WestJet | Most groups: the most flights and the simplest transfer |
| Cozumel (CZM) | Taxi to the downtown pier, about 45 min ferry, then a 20 min walk | Few nonstops: American from Dallas and United from Houston year-round, others seasonal | Groups who want to start on Cozumel, or who find a good fare |
| Tulum (TQO) | About 1 h 40 min by road, 66 mi (OSRM routing) | 10 airlines and 13 destinations in winter 2026-27 (Riviera Maya News) | Groups also spending time in Tulum |
Sources: Google Maps (2026-10-10); OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap (2026-10-11); Wikipedia airport pages and Riviera Maya News (accessed 2026-10-11).
Airport transfer, rental car, taxi or bus for a group
| Option | Price as published | For a group of 6 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private van, Mayaway Transfers | About $100 each way plus tip, per van of up to 10 | About $100 each way, about $17 a person (ESTIMATED) | The owner's own driver. Book on WhatsApp with your flight number. |
| Other private vans | From $69 one way per van on two operators' own sites | Depends on the van size | Ask for the vehicle size and luggage room. |
| ADO bus | About MXN 270 per person one way, varies by date | About MXN 1,620 each way | About 1 h 15 min; ADO says allow 1 h 30 min to 1 h 50 min. |
| Airport taxi | No official fare table is published | Agree the fare first | Use the official airport counter. |
| Rental car | About $35 to $60 a day for an economy car, about $90 to $150 for a 12-seat van, with liability insurance (ESTIMATED) | One 12-seat van for the stay | Mexico requires liability insurance; it is sold at the counter. |
For a group of six to ten landing together, one private van is usually the simplest and often the cheapest per person. A rental car makes sense when the group plans day trips; book it with liability insurance included, because that is the price you will pay at the counter.
Sources: the owner's driver (2026-10-11); operators' own sites and ADO (2026-10-10); enterprise.com Cancun airport page. Car ranges are our estimate from Discover Cars base rates plus insurance.
The Cozumel ferry
Flying into Cozumel means a short taxi to the downtown passenger pier, the ferry across to Playa del Carmen, then a 20 minute walk or a short taxi to Calle 28. The crossing takes about 45 minutes. Three operators run it; check their timetables on the day, because they change without notice.
| Operator | Fare as published | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Xcaret Xailing | $16 one way per adult, $12 for children 5 to 11 | Arrive 30 minutes before departure. |
| Winjet | MXN 335 one way, tourist rate | Timetable on winjet.mx. |
| Ultramar | Fare not published on the page we read | One bag per ticket, up to 55 lb. |
A car rented on Cozumel stays on the island. If the group needs a car, rent it in Playa after the ferry.
Sources: xcaret.com, winjet.mx and ultramarferry.com, read 2026-10-11.
Where to stay
Penthouse 315 at Aldea Thai sleeps 10 in three bedrooms, with a private rooftop pool, a short walk from Mamitas Beach and 5th Avenue. The planner adds it with one tap, with an estimate for your dates and the exact price on Airbnb or Vrbo. Staying somewhere else? Choose Other lodging and type the nightly price.
How the numbers work
- Prices marked about or estimate are typical figures with their source one tap away. The exact price is always on the booking site.
- The condo estimate comes from recent nightly prices for the same month, before Airbnb fees and taxes. Months with no data show no number.
- A plan you share is kept for 30 days after the trip ends, with first names, airport codes, dates and amounts only. Receipt photos are read and deleted at once.
Questions
Is the trip planner free?
Yes. It is free, with no sign-up and no app to install. A plan lives in its link until you share it.
Which airport should we fly into for Playa del Carmen?
For most groups, Cancun (CUN): it has the most flights and Playa is about 43 minutes away by road. Cozumel needs the ferry, and Tulum is about 1 hour 40 minutes by road.
How much does it cost to get from Cancun airport to Playa del Carmen?
The ADO bus is about MXN 270 per person one way. The owner's driver, Mayaway Transfers, charges about $100 each way plus tip for a van of up to 10. No official taxi fare is published, so agree the fare first.
How much is the ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen?
Xcaret Xailing lists $16 one way per adult and $12 for children 5 to 11; Winjet lists MXN 335 one way at the tourist rate. The crossing takes about 45 minutes.
How do you split a vacation rental when people stay different nights?
Split by nights: each person's share follows the nights they stay, so someone who arrives a day late pays one night less. The planner does this with one tap.
Can everyone in the group edit the plan?
Anyone with the edit link can change it, and the view link is read only. A shared plan is deleted 30 days after the trip ends.
Are the prices in the planner quotes?
No. Prices marked about or estimate are typical figures with their source one tap away. The exact price is always on the booking or operator site.
Do I need Mexican insurance for a rental car?
Yes. Mexican third-party liability insurance is required by law and is sold at the counter; US policies and card coverage do not replace it.